The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, has warned that xenophobic violence against African migrants in South Africa threatens to erode the country’s international standing as a champion of human rights and justice.

Speaking before the Pan African Parliament, the Majority Chief Whip acknowledged South Africa’s historic role in defending oppressed peoples and its recent advocacy on global humanitarian issues, including its stance on the conflict in Gaza.

However, he argued that violence against fellow Africans within its borders creates a troubling contradiction.

Mr Dafeamekpor said South Africa had earned global respect for speaking out against apartheid-era oppression and alleged human rights abuses elsewhere, but stressed that similar commitment must be shown towards African migrants living within the country.

“A nation cannot credibly condemn dehumanisation abroad while tolerating the dehumanisation of Africans at home,” he said.

“The struggle for Palestinian dignity and the struggle for African dignity are not morally separate conversations.”

He further argued that xenophobia weakens Africa’s collective voice on international justice and human rights issues.

“Human rights cannot be defended selectively. Justice loses credibility when compassion stops at the border,” he stated, adding that the phenomenon undermines the spirit of unity on which both the Pan African Parliament and the African Union were founded.