Mnangagwa Enlists South African Traditional Leaders to Curb Xenophobia

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed directly to South Africa's Zulu and Xhosa traditional leaders to intervene in the escalating migrant crisis. The Zimbabwean government hopes these influential cultural figures can help defuse rising xenophobic sentiments and protect vulnerable foreign nationals. According to local accounts, anti-migrant vigilante groups in South Africa continue to accuse foreigners of straining public services and taking local jobs. This grassroots hostility has sparked widespread protests, leaving millions of Zimbabwean expatriates fearing imminent physical attacks. Mnangagwa's unusual diplomatic bypass of formal state channels reveals his deep distrust in South Africa's official security apparatus to protect migrants.