South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country is “deeply ashamed” over the treatment of foreign nationals, with some fellow Africans forced to leave South Africa under threats of violence.

Speaking in Durban on Friday during a public lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, President Ramaphosa said South Africa was ashamed of the treatment of people from other nations.

“As South Africans, we are deeply concerned and ashamed that people from other nations, some whose leaders are here, were treated badly and were even forced to leave their country under threat of violence,” he said.

He condemned the actions of individuals involved, saying they undermine the spirit of solidarity upon which the Southern African community is built.

“The criminal actions of a few within our communities are a repudiation of the solidarity upon which this Southern African community is built,” President Ramaphosa said.

He stressed that South Africa’s commitment to regional integration must be reflected in the way people from other African countries are treated within the country.

“We cannot preach integration at summits and practice exclusion in the streets of our countries,” he said.

President Ramaphosa said the issue was not only a challenge for South Africa but also a broader concern requiring a collective response from the region.

“I say this as a South African to South Africans first of all. This is a broader challenge to which we must apply ourselves as a community,” he said.

He stressed the need for the region to uphold the principles of integration and solidarity, saying commitments made at regional summits must also be reflected in the treatment of people within communities.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 1,600 Ghanaians have so far been evacuated through chartered and commercial flights since the exercise began in May 2026, following anti-migrant attacks in South Africa.