South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said his Afri – can counterparts must address some of the domestic factors respon – sible for “these levels of migration that we see across our continent” which cause “people to migrate in large numbers and seek refuge in different parts of the continent, including South Africa”.

He made the comment when he hosted his Mozambican counterpart Daniel Chapo in Pretoria on Tuesday, amid xenophobic tensions in the former apartheid enclave.

According to the SABC, the two leaders discussed the anti-foreigner demonstrations in various parts of South Africa, with Ramaphosa urging countries whose citizens immigrate to South Africa illegally to examine the factors that forced them to leave their home countries. Some foreign nationals, including two Nigerians, were killed following xenophobic sentiment, with Mozambique, Nigeria, and Ghana lodging diplomatic protests to the South African government about the treatment of their citizens. Ramaphosa said African leaders must work together to find a solution to the issue of mass migration affecting the continent, according to Presidency spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, during a news conference in Cape Town yesterday.

He pushed back against characterisations of South Africa as a xenophobic country, saying such characterisations amounted to a “lazy analysis” of more complex underlying issues, including crime and community pressures. Ramaphosa also dispelled any notion that South Africans are xenophobic people, saying the country is open, friendly, and warm.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa iden – tified misgovernance in Africa as the key cause of mass migration in search of greener pastures abroad. Magweny quoted the President as saying: “The continent needs to work together to address the issues that are behind these levels of migration that we see across our continent.

“Issues of conflicts, issues of in – stability, and in some areas, if we’re being honest, the misgovernance that causes people to migrate in large numbers and seek refuge in differ – ent parts of the continent, including South Africa.”