A group of about 80 people, some carrying banners and waving South African flags, tries to push past South African Police officers during an anti-immigrant protest in Parklands, a suburb of Cape Town, on June 27. Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images
Parallels can be drawn between MAGA in the United States and retrograde elements domestically, as well as other Western imperialist states.
Originally published in NewsGhana.
Geopolitical Analysis
During the month of June, what is known as xenophobic and “afro-phobic” attacks have been occurring in the Republic of South Africa, a nation of 65 million which emerged from apartheid rule 32 years ago.
Five decades ago, the world became acutely aware of the brutal system of legalized racial oppression and settler-colonialism when hundreds of thousands of students walked out of their schools on June 16 to protest what was called “Bantu Education” which promoted notions of white supremacy and hostility towards Africans from other parts of the continent.
Under the apartheid system, the government told Africans who were oppressed by the minority white population that they were inferior to the Europeans occupying the country, yet superior to their Black counterparts across the continent. The liberation movements such as the African National Congress (ANC) were said to have been motivated by communism and therefore representing a danger to the well-being of all those living inside the apartheid state.
Consequently, since June 2026, the narrative emerging from the Republic of South Africa was not the 50-years commemoration of the role of youth and workers in the struggle against apartheid and settler-colonialism, it became the xenophobic and afro-phobic assaults on people from neighboring states such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, etc. The groups which have been projected as the leadership of this unrest in which thousands have been dislocated, attacked, robbed, killed and forced to flee are those who have no presence in the National Assembly and government.
Groups such as “Operation Dudula” and “March and March” are utilizing the same language as the Make America Great Again (MAGA) wing of the United States political establishment which dominates the White House and the Congress. Falsehoods which suggest that so-called “undocumented foreigners” are taking jobs away from “citizens” is not an idea which originated in South Africa. President Donald Trump of the U.S. utilized such rhetoric to win over millions of whites and others who are experiencing joblessness and economic distress.
A similar situation exists in the United Kingdom and other Western European states such as France and Germany. Political parties such as Reform UK, Restore Britain along with the National Rally of France and the Alternatives for Deutschland in Germany are carrying out similar demagogic efforts to ban migrants seeking asylum and economic opportunities.
In England and Northern Ireland, far right and neo-fascist elements have attacked Black, Asian and migrant communities burning cars, buses and homes. These communities are also being accused of engaging in criminal activity and taking jobs away from those considered citizens.
In the U.S., people from countries such as Haiti and Venezuela among others have had their temporary protective status revoked by the Trump administration. Unsubstantiated rumors suggesting that these nationalities engage in criminal activity are fostered to justify the overall racist atmosphere which exists in the U.S. This state-sponsored institutional racism is attempting to cover up actual crimes being committed by the government and corporate interests in the U.S.
There is vast self-enrichment on the part of the ruling capitalist class while the workers and nationally oppressed grow poorer. A recent report issued by the National Urban League (NUL) documents that African Americans are experiencing a recession while their rights to vote and participate in the labor market on an equal basis have been legally eliminated by the White House, the Supreme Court and many corporations.
Reports since late 2025 indicate that hundreds of thousands of African American women have been forced from their jobs. This is a direct outcome of the racist and sexist attacks on this sector of the population claiming they have no right to decent employment and official positions within government and corporate structures.
Whose is Behind the Attacks Against Continental Africans in South Africa?
Neither “Operation Dudula” or “March and March” have representation in the National Assembly which is the legislative body that creates laws for South Africa. Therefore, these groupings have no legal basis for ordering people to leave the country.
This is not the first attempt in recent years to destabilize the South African government and society. Under the previous administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, the South African government was accused of providing weapons to the Russian Federation in its Special Military Operation in Ukraine.
In December 2023, the ANC-dominated government in South Africa took the State of Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial body within the United Nations, charging Tel Aviv with violations of the Genocide Convention. Thousands of Palestinians had already been killed and displaced in the aftermath of the Al Aqsa Flood emanating from Gaza which has been under extreme pressure from Tel Aviv for decades.
After Trump took office for the second non-consecutive term in 2025, the South African Government of National Unity under President Cyril Ramaphosa was accused of overseeing genocidal policies against the white population. Trump, who is expelling thousands of people every week, has granted refugee status to white South Africans wishing to migrate to the U.S. This racist immigration policy clearly exposes the character of U.S. capitalism and imperialism.
In regard to the current situation in South Africa, the Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said in an interview with a leading media outlet that:
“Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has suggested that Israel may have had an interest in undermining South Africa through the recent March and March anti-illegal immigration protests, linking the issue to South Africa’s high-profile case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Speaking on the matter, Kubayi argued that South Africa’s decision to take Israel to the ICJ over allegations related to the war in Gaza has elevated the country’s international profile and placed it at the center of a wider geopolitical contest. While she stopped short of directly accusing Israel of organizing or funding the demonstrations, and did not provide evidence to support the allegation, Kubayi said it would be ‘naïve’ to assume that powerful global interests would not seek to weaken South Africa’s credibility on human rights issues. Her remarks come amid growing debate over the March and March protests, which have focused on illegal immigration and have drawn both support and criticism across the country. The demonstrations have also sparked concerns about xenophobia, social tensions and political mobilization.”
The State of Israel would not exist without the financial, military and diplomatic support of the U.S. The war against Iran is a joint operation between Tel Aviv and Washington.
Although there is widespread opposition to the policies of zionism, leaders within the U.S. and other allied imperialist states continue to provide money and military resources to Tel Aviv in their genocidal campaigns against the Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, Yemenis, Iraqis and others in the West Asia region.
No other NATO country would enter the recent war against Iran and Lebanon since it realized the project was a losing battle which would only further destabilize the world economy. Trump and previous U.S. leaders have been hellbent on preserving imperialism and therefore they are committed to stifling any form of independent foreign policy and economic development.
Impact of the Situation in South Africa on Continental Unity
Over the last two decades or more, the 55 member-states of the African Union (AU) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have passed numerous resolutions calling for greater unity. The African continent has been subjected to centuries of enslavement, colonialism, neo-colonialism which is responsible for the contemporary underdevelopment and divisions.
South Africa has been considered a leader within the AU due to its origins as a democratic nation-state and for the pioneering work related to the Palestine solidarity movement along with its involvement in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA plus summit (BRICS+). BRICS is committed to alternative forms of development which are independent of the domination of U.S. imperialism.
Projects such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is designed to bring together various states to foster genuine development in the region cannot be implemented with the largest industrialized state being viewed as an impediment to Pan-African unification. The African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC), whose Chinese-built headquarters is located in Addis Ababa, will not be able to combat preventable and treatable diseases in light of the counter-revolutionary elements which the corporate media has projected as being representative of mass sentiment in South Africa.
Consequently, the ANC-led Government of National Unity must put an end to the destabilization efforts by “March and March” and “Operation Dudula”. The antics of these groups will only worsen the economic downturn in South Africa and the continent as a whole.
The only real solution to the African crisis is continental unification based on anti-imperialism and socialist reconstruction. U.S. imperialist tropes rooted in racist propaganda and psychological warfare can only bring harm to the African people on the continent and around the world.
Abayomi Azikiwe is the Editor of Pan-African News Wire.
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