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Pretoria is pushing back against the World Health Organization’s account of recent deaths involving foreign nationals on South African soil, setting the stage for a diplomatic dispute over the facts behind the country’s worsening immigration crisis.
In a statement issued Monday, the Presidency announced it would formally engage the WHO through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to ensure that information before the global health body was “accurate and reliable.” The move came after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described what he called a “profoundly heartbreaking” surge of xenophobic violence in South Africa, claiming that hundreds had marched on Parliament, families had been displaced, and that at least five Ethiopians and five Mozambicans had died.
South Africa’s government disputed his characterization of the incidents, with DIRCO saying it would engage the WHO to correct what it called inaccurate information regarding the deaths. DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said authorities believed the deaths of Ethiopian nationals stemmed from organized crime rather than xenophobic violence, noting that the South African Police Service was also separately investigating the cases involving Mozambican nationals.
South African authorities previously revealed that the deaths of five Ethiopian nationals stemmed from two separate incidents in Johannesburg’s CBD. The fatal shootings, which occurred in late April 2026, are believed to have been targeted hits rather than xenophobic attacks. “These incidents are under active investigation by law enforcement,” Phiri said.
The Presidency was equally pointed in its pushback. “Most notably, the WHO’s characterization of the deaths of the Ethiopian nationals is, unfortunately, incorrect,” it said, insisting the incidents fell within the realm of organized crime. Regarding the Mozambican nationals, investigations remain ongoing. According to the South African Police Service, two Mozambican men, aged 27 and 43, were killed during sporadic violence in the Asla Park informal settlement in Mossel Bay on 29 May, during which approximately 55 shacks were set alight. The Mozambican government has disputed these figures, claiming that five of its citizens were killed.
While expressing condolences to affected families, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration stressed that only duly authorized law enforcement officials have the mandate to enforce immigration laws, reiterating its opposition to vigilante action.
Tedros, who is himself Ethiopian, framed the reported violence as a betrayal of South Africa’s own liberation history. He stated that “to see South Africa turn to xenophobia is a tragic betrayal of the country’s struggle for independence and freedom,” pointing to the solidarity several African nations, including Ethiopia, extended during the anti-apartheid struggle. He urged both authorities and citizens to address grievances through the rule of law rather than through vigilante violence.
The row unfolds against a backdrop of deepening structural tensions. South Africa’s deteriorating socioeconomic conditions, including an unemployment rate of over 43 percent, have coincided with the rise of anti-immigrant activism and the formation of vigilante groups like Operation Dudula and March and March, groups that scapegoat foreign nationals as the cause of South Africa’s economic woes, poor service delivery, and high rates of crime, despite studies that disprove these claims. The United Nations has acknowledged these pressures while warning that responses must remain lawful and grounded in human rights.
The WHO, for its part, has pledged continued support for social cohesion initiatives, improved service delivery, and efforts to combat misinformation, while expanding engagement with provincial and local authorities in flashpoint areas including KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah