As the continent marked the 63rd anniversary of the African Union, leaders across Africa delivered inspiring speeches celebrating unity, solidarity and integration in an increasingly globalised world.
Yet behind these calls for unity lies a continent still divided by nationality, geopolitical interests, foreign ideologies, race and ethnicity.
In Nigeria, tensions often emerge along religious lines between Christians and Muslims. In South Sudan, conflict has frequently pitted the Nuer and Dinka communities against one another. Across the continent, various forms of division continue to undermine the Pan-African dream.
However, some of the most troubling divisions are unfolding in South Africa, where fellow Africans have increasingly become targets of hostility in what many now describe as "Afrophobia" -- discrimination directed specifically at black Africans from other countries.
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Since the beginning of this year, anti-immigration activists including Nhlanhla Lux, Zandile Dabula, Phakel'Umthakathi and Jacinta Ngobese have led demonstrations under the banner of Operation Dudula. Their campaign has involved patrols of business centres and residential areas in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Johannesburg and Soweto, with demands that undocumented foreign nationals leave South Africa by June 30, 2026.
The unfortunate reality of the Operation Dudula campaign is that its primary targets are fellow Africans from countries such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. Critics of the movement accuse it of blaming foreigners for crime, unemployment and economic hardship.
Undoubtedly, some individuals may have violated immigration laws or engaged in criminal activities. However, collective punishment, mob justice and the selective targeting of black Africans are deeply troubling practices, particularly at a time when Africans are being called upon to rise above the colonial borders drawn in Berlin in 1884.
In my view, it is disingenuous for Operation Dudula leaders and supporters to focus almost exclusively on fellow black Africans while largely ignoring other foreign communities, including whites, Indians, Arabs and Chinese nationals who also reside and conduct business in South Africa.
Amid the anti-immigrant demonstrations and growing hostility toward fellow Africans, one prominent South African politician has consistently spoken out against what he calls Afrophobia: Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
In an interview with Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir, Malema argued that what South Africa is experiencing is not traditional xenophobia but rather Afrophobia.
"There is no xenophobia, but rather Afrophobia," he said.
Malema has repeatedly criticised Operation Dudula and its supporters, arguing that they target vulnerable African migrants because they are easier targets than other foreign groups.
He has consistently maintained that he will never support campaigns that persecute fellow Africans simply because they crossed borders in search of opportunity, dignity and a better life.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once observed, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Malema has taken a position that many politicians in South Africa would regard as politically risky. At a time when anti-immigrant sentiment has gained traction among sections of the electorate, he has chosen to advocate for equality, justice, African unity and Pan-African solidarity.
Rather than blaming migrants for South Africa's challenges, Malema frequently reminds South Africans of the principle of Ubuntu -- the belief in our shared humanity and mutual responsibility toward one another.
He also points to deeper structural issues facing South Africa, including unresolved land ownership disputes, housing shortages, high living costs, persistent inequality and unemployment rooted in the legacy of apartheid.
From this perspective, Operation Dudula is directing public anger toward the wrong targets.
Like Malema, I challenge those leading these demonstrations to focus their attention on the broader economic structures that continue to shape inequality in South Africa.
It is worth remembering that while political power changed hands in 1994, economic power largely remained concentrated among a relatively small segment of society. South Africa continues to grapple with profound racial, social and economic disparities.
Many of the country's largest corporations, vast tracts of land and significant concentrations of wealth remain in the hands of a small minority. These realities cannot be blamed on African migrants.
Indeed, despite periodic deportations and the departure of foreign nationals, South Africa continues to face stubbornly high unemployment rates, suggesting that migration alone is not the root cause of the country's economic challenges.
Has South Africa abandoned the dream of a united Africa -- an Africa free from division, visa restrictions, trade barriers, foreign dependency and internal hostility?
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The persecution of fellow Africans undermines the vision championed by Pan-African leaders such as Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Thomas Sankara and Nelson Mandela.
These leaders did not struggle for an Africa divided against itself. They envisioned a continent united by shared prosperity, economic integration, dignity and self-determination.
Have the borders drawn by colonial powers in Berlin caused us to forget that we remain one people sharing a common continent and destiny?
To the leaders and supporters of Operation Dudula, I submit that Africa still faces much larger battles: ending the exploitation of our raw materials and minerals, reversing brain drain, reducing dependency on foreign debt and completing the unfinished project of decolonisation.
These challenges require collective African action, not hostility toward fellow Africans.
For these reasons, I believe Julius Malema has demonstrated the courage to defend Pan-African principles at a politically difficult moment. Whether one agrees with all his politics or not, his opposition to Afrophobia deserves recognition.
In a world increasingly shaped by Afrophobia, be Julius Malema.
Robert Kigongo is a Pan-Africanist and sustainable development analyst.
