Africa receives about 67 million international visitors each year, contributing over $38 billion to its economy. However, travel among African countries—when people from one African nation visit another—is still not well developed, limited by visa requirements, poor airline connections, and growing concerns. Pictures of foreign-owned stores set ablaze in Johannesburg or Durban, South Africa, spread quickly beyond their country’s boundaries, echoing throughout the continent and the diaspora via messages shared on WhatsApp.
There is deep irony here. South Africa, the country that introduced the world to Nelson Mandela, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the vibrant concept of Ubuntu—“I am because we are”—occasionally experiences brutal violence directed towards other Africans: Zimbabweans, Mozambicans, Nigerians, Ethiopians, and Malawians. Despite being geographically close and historically connected, they are seen as enemies. At one end, the flame of African freedom continues to glow; at the other, a crowd destroys lives.
This inconsistency goes beyond just being a national embarrassment. It represents an economic disaster with clear and quantifiable consequences: African tourism, and thereby, the continent's most viable route to unity and mutual growth.
Ubuntu is not merely a phrase used for political change. It represents an extensive moral framework that acknowledges the dignity of strangers, refugees, and migrant workers exactly because unity should not stop at national boundaries. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who lived by this principle, made it clear: Ubuntu implies that our own worth decreases when others suffer hardship.
Racism represents the ideological opposite of Ubuntu. It expresses itself through "I exist because you do not." Every assault against a Malawian street vendor or a Nigerian pharmacy worker signifies more than just a violation of Pan-Africanism as an ideology—it undermines the ethical principles that formed the basis of South Africa's new identity after apartheid. A country can’t celebrate Mandela internationally while its people destroy the means of subsistence for Mozambicans, who once provided refuge to the ANC during their fight for freedom.
The obligation of unity is profound. It crosses all boundaries across this landmass.
The financial rationale itself deserves consideration. From 1994 onward, African immigrants have played a key role in developing South Africa's informal sector. Spaza stores, taxi services, cross-border trade, tourism, and construction—each of these industries is largely fueled by migrant labor and business initiatives from across the continent. The African Continental Free Trade Area, based in Accra and supported by the African Union, aims for a $3.4 trillion unified market. This represents the largest integration effort in post-colonial African history.
Racism poses a risk of eroding its foundation before it can fully develop. Both local and international investors continuously assess political and societal stability. A sensible businessperson would not enter a market where personal security depends on one’s country of origin. In response to the 2019 anti-foreigner riots in South Africa, Nigeria briefly withdrew its High Commissioner from the nation. The diplomatic goodwill carefully cultivated over many years vanished within just a few days. Commercial pacts hold little value if the underlying human element is damaged by distrust and hostility.
Travel cultivates understanding in a way that politics alone fails to achieve. As a South African journeys across Tanzania's Serengeti, a Kenyan ventures into Cape Town, or a Ghanian discovers Victoria Falls using a local travel card, an transformation occurs—not as abstract concept, but as real-life encounter. They share meals. They move side by side. They see one another.
Agenda 2063 of the African Union clearly highlights internal African travel as a key component of unity. The unified African passport, promoted since the meeting in Kigali back in 2016, is progressing gradually yet consistently. If completely adopted, the African Union's mobility agreement could bring significant changes. These aren’t unrealistic dreams; they are tools for policy that require determination from leaders.
South Africa has the facilities, sights, and organizational strength needed to spearhead this initiative. It holds potential to emerge as the continent's leading tourist hub and representative of hospitality. However, instead, it faces the danger of turning into an example of how economic dissatisfaction, directed at blame targets, hinders overall development. Isn't it paradoxical that South Africa might end up being viewed as an outcast within Africa itself?
Africa can't withstand this drain. The continent's future must be shared, otherwise it will suffer loss. Pan-Africanism was not designed to remain in the past; it was created as an active framework for mutual growth. Ubuntu was never supposed to end at the Limpopo River.
South Africa needs to address the underlying reasons for xenophobia openly: joblessness, disparity, and lack of housing, while resolutely and persistently preventing such issues from resulting in violent actions toward other Africans. Leaders have a responsibility to guide. Communities should face consequences for their behavior. The entire continent must unite in insisting that no African person feels threatened within Africa. We exist because we are united. Together, we stand strong—otherwise, we fall apart entirely.
- Akinribido is based in Johannesburg, South Africa