“We have to teach them a lesson!” Following episodes of xenophobic violence in South Africa, other African countries are now turning against “Bafana Bafana”. On Thursday (18), many cheered for the Czech Republic. The match ended 1-1.
“Everything in football is politics. And we are against what South Africa stands for,” says Shahim in a sports bar in Nairobi. This 37-year-old Kenyan clenched her fists in joy at every mistake made by the South Africans.
“We would like the majority of South Africans to be against what is happening in their country, to oppose xenophobic violence. But that is not happening”, he laments.
For several months now, South Africa has been the scene of demonstrations calling for irregular immigrants to leave. The protests are not excessively numerous, but they are accompanied by a wave of xenophobic hatred on the internet and have received great repercussions in the media.
“We support the rest of the African teams. But we want to show South Africans that their actions have consequences,” agrees Fatma, a 34-year-old farmer and friend of Shahim. “When you have a superiority complex, it’s only you who suffers,” he added.
South Africa announced on Sunday that it had expelled 2,745 foreigners in one week, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s promise to toughen up the fight against irregular immigration.
As a result, in recent weeks, Ghana and Nigeria have welcomed back several hundred of their emigrants.
Around 600 Mozambicans also returned to their country of origin after the violence in the city of Mossel Bay (south), which, according to the police, has already left two dead (five, according to authorities in Maputo) and triggered looting and voluntary fires since the beginning of June.
This situation does not go down well in the rest of Africa. Many have become somewhat concerned about the country’s national team, “Bafana Bafana”, as a form of protest against this situation.
As a result, several Africans are willing to support any of the opponents that South Africa faces in the World Cup.
Comments in support of Mexico, which defeated the South African team 2-0 in the opening match, were well represented in a montage that showed a map of the continent covered with the Mexican flag, except for South Africa.
“South Africa can’t even attack Mexico. The only ones who can attack are the Ghanaians who live in their country”, Ghanaian influencer Eric Boateng reported on X, before the first game.
“The entire continent seems to have become Afro-Mexican,” quipped Wode Maya, one of the most followed video content creators in the world. In another temporary gesture of support for Mexico, he asked his fans to respond to him in Spanish.
Even a member of the African Football Confederation, Ibrahim Sannie Daara, attacked the ‘Bafana Bafana’ on the social network
Edwin, a 50-year-old Kenyan communicator, said he was determined to support South Africa as an African team and rejected “judging any country in the name of a xenophobic minority.”
He also recalled more difficult times in East Africa, when dictator Idi Amin Dada had tens of thousands of Ugandans of Indian-Pakistani origin expelled in 1972, something that “not all Ugandans supported”.
For its part, the South African Football Federation on Wednesday denounced in a statement the “online harassment” and “offensive messages” directed at players, which it classified as “unacceptable”.
During a press conference on Thursday, Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and captain, Ronwen Williams, confessed that he suffers from the controversy.
“You want to focus on your job, which is being a football player, but they end up getting involved in politics, a place you really don’t want to be in.”
With one point gained and chances of qualifying in Group A of the World Cup, South Africa returns to the field on Wednesday (24), at 10pm, against South Korea.
