The Nigeria Labour Congress has called for urgent intervention to halt the rising wave of xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa, warning that continued violence threatens workers’ unity across the continent.
In a letter dated May 7, 2026, addressed to the leadership of the Congress of South African Trade Unions in Johannesburg, NLC President Joe Ajaero condemned the recent killings of African migrants and destruction of their businesses in parts of South Africa.
Ajaero described the attacks as a direct consequence of worsening economic hardship and ineffective government policies, stressing that African workers must not be turned against one another.
“We cannot claim to fight for the working class while allowing a section of that class to be hunted like wild animals,” he stated.
The labour leader urged COSATU to spearhead widespread sensitisation campaigns in communities, workplaces and labour unions to counter growing narratives that blame migrants for unemployment and poverty.
“We must break, once and for all, the racist myth that a fellow black African from across a colonial border is our enemy,” Ajaero added.
The NLC also faulted what it described as the inadequate response of South African security agencies, accusing authorities of failing to provide sufficient protection for migrants and their businesses.
Ajaero called for the full deployment of security personnel to curb further violence and demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the attacks.
He further urged the South African government to compensate victims and families affected by the violence.
According to the NLC, xenophobia poses a serious threat to workers’ solidarity across Africa, weakening labour movements and undermining collective bargaining efforts.
“Xenophobia is not good for anybody, especially the world of work, because it fractures working-class unity and weakens our collective bargaining power against capital,” he said.
The congress also proposed an emergency meeting involving African labour organisations under the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation and the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity to develop coordinated strategies for the protection of migrant workers across the continent.
Warning against the dangers of inaction, Ajaero said failure to decisively confront xenophobic violence could trigger similar attacks in other African countries.
“Xenophobia is a cancer that, if not excised in South Africa, will metastasise across the continent,” he warned.
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