By Arabinrin Aderonke
I have been quiet since the unrest in South Africa started, but I have been deeply saddened. People close to me know how much I love South Africa.
Apart from Nigeria, it is my second favorite country out of the 44+ countries I have visited. I have been there more than 15 times, but right now, I honestly do not see myself visiting again anytime soon except I need to carry out a very important and unavoidable task.
I was there recently in May 2026 to speak on a panel at the University of Cape Town, and that trip felt different. I felt nostalgic, but at the same time, the love I once had for the country started fading. Watching Nigerians being hunted and killed is painful. South Africa used to be my happy place, somewhere I quietly went to relax and breathe. Mbombela and Cape Town were always my favorite cities.
They use incidents like this to fuel anger and encourage locals to chase out other African nationals. From my experience as a peace and conflict resolution expert, one thing I know is that division has always been one of the easiest tools for destabilization. History has shown us this repeatedly.
We saw it in Rwanda, where hate, division, and propaganda were weaponized with devastating consequences. We also saw it during the 2008 xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where foreign nationals were attacked, killed, and displaced, leaving lasting scars across the continent.
The danger is that once hatred becomes normalized, it rarely stops at its original target. Today it may be Nigerians, Zimbabweans, or other African nationals. Tomorrow, it could easily become South Africans turning against one another along ethnic, political, or class lines. That is how deeper crises begin.
The long-term consequences are dangerous. Social cohesion breaks down, trust disappears, businesses suffer, investor confidence drops, and national stability becomes threatened. More importantly, South Africa risks isolating itself from the rest of Africa.
And in times of real crisis, the solidarity and support they may need from fellow African nations may no longer come easily. Prevention will always be better than crisis management. I only hope people see beyond the present anger and understand the long-term damage before it becomes too late.
Arabinrin Aderonke is an award-winning investigative journalist, 2016 Finalist, CNN Africa Journalist Award, Author, Policy and Gender analyst. Currently a doctoral student in Peace and Development studies.
