{"id":12650,"date":"2026-03-05T07:30:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T07:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=12650"},"modified":"2026-03-05T07:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T07:30:19","slug":"blaming-migrants-wont-fix-south-africas-problems-pandor-warns-against-xenophobia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=12650","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Blaming Migrants Won\u2019t Fix South Africa\u2019s Problems\u2019 \u2013 Pandor Warns Against Xenophobia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><br>Zim GBC News | South African Correspondent<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"197\" height=\"256\" src=\"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/download-47.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12651\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>JOHANNESBURG \u2014 Former South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, has issued a stern warning against the rising tide of xenophobia in the country, asserting that foreign nationals are being unfairly used as scapegoats to mask the government\u2019s failure to address critical socio-economic issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking at a dialogue on migration and development in Pretoria, Dr Pandor cautioned that blaming migrants for challenges such as unemployment, crime, and poor service delivery distracts citizens from the real structural failures that plague the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen governments struggle to deal with issues such as rising unemployment, weak economic growth, poverty, crime, and failing service delivery, migrants often become the easiest targets,\u201d Dr Pandor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBlaming people from other countries may temporarily calm public anger, but it does not solve the structural problems facing the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>South Africa currently faces one of the highest unemployment rates globally, with millions of young people jobless. Widespread electricity shortages, failing municipalities, and sluggish economic growth have compounded the hardships faced by ordinary citizens, creating fertile ground for anti-immigrant sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pandor emphasized that migrants are not the cause of the country\u2019s economic crisis and warned against treating them as such. She highlighted the positive contributions made by foreign nationals, particularly from other African countries, to local economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMany foreign nationals contribute to the economy by opening small businesses, providing services in local communities, and creating jobs for others. Some also bring valuable skills that support sectors of the economy that need workers,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her remarks come amid heightened political tension over immigration in South Africa. Several groups and political movements have intensified calls for stricter border controls and a crackdown on undocumented migrants, arguing that foreigners place undue pressure on limited resources and job opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, analysts caution that this narrow focus diverts attention from the deeper issues undermining the country\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFocusing solely on migrants risks distracting the public from deeper governance failures,\u201d Pandor warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cProblems such as corruption, poor policy decisions, lack of industrial growth, and failing local government systems are major contributors to unemployment and economic hardship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The former minister stressed that turning migrants into scapegoats could reignite xenophobic violence and deepen social divisions in a nation historically committed to African unity and solidarity. She called for a balanced migration approach that includes proper border management, fair immigration policies, and concrete steps to address the country\u2019s economic malaise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSouth Africa\u2019s problems cannot be solved by blaming migrants,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cReal solutions require leadership, accountability, and policies that create jobs, grow the economy, and improve service delivery for everyone living in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow Zim GBC News for more updates:<br>\u00b7 X (Twitter): @ZimGbc<br>\u00b7 Instagram: @ZimGBCNews<br>\u00b7 TikTok: @ZimGBCNews_01<br>\u00b7 Facebook: Zim GBC News<br>\u00b7 YouTube: Zim GBC News<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get real-time alerts on WhatsApp:<br>+263 773 820 323<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For in-depth coverage, visit our website:<br>www.zimgbcnews.co.zw<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Zim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective<\/em>\u00a92026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zim GBC News | South African Correspondent JOHANNESBURG \u2014 Former South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, has issued a stern warning against the rising tide&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12650"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12653,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12650\/revisions\/12653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}