‘Do Not Paint Us All with the Same Brush’: Newcastle Foreign Nationals Respond to Rising Tensions

As anti-foreigner tensions continue to draw national and international concern, foreign nationals living and trading in Newcastle say the situation is being watched closely, even though the town has not seen the same level of unrest reported elsewhere in South Africa.

The issue has gained renewed attention after Nigeria confirmed that it was preparing voluntary repatriation assistance for citizens who want to leave South Africa.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said 130 Nigerians had already registered for help to return home, with the number expected to rise.

Her comments followed renewed concern over anti-migration demonstrations, alleged attacks on foreign nationals, and fears that anger over undocumented immigration could spill over into broader hostility against African nationals living and working in South Africa.

“Nigerian lives and businesses in SA must not continue to be put at risk,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

While the Nigerian government’s response has placed the matter on the diplomatic stage, the issue is also being felt in towns such as Newcastle, where foreign nationals operate shops, rent premises, employ people, serve local customers, and form part of the daily commercial life of the community.

Across South Africa, public debate around immigration has become increasingly tense.

Many residents have raised concerns about undocumented foreign nationals, crime, unemployment, informal trading, and pressure on public services. However, foreign nationals who are legally in the country have warned that these frustrations can easily turn into collective blame, intimidation, and suspicion towards entire communities.

This is the concern now being voiced locally.

Muhammad Zakria, Chairman of the Kashmir Committee for the Pakistan Association South Africa (PASA), said Newcastle’s Pakistani community had not experienced direct xenophobic incidents.

“We have the occasional person taking a chance with Pakistani nationals who run businesses, but it is nothing major, and we are fortunate in Newcastle with our law enforcement and the community at large, who ensured that foreign nationals were safe during the July unrests in July 2021,” he said.

However, while Zakria described the local situation as relatively calm, others said the national mood had begun to influence day-to-day interactions.

An Ethiopian business owner operating a tuck shop in the Newcastle CBD said some members of the Ethiopian community had noticed a change in how they were being treated.

“We have seen people’s attitudes towards foreign nationals change. I have run my business for just over seven years in town, and recently certain members of the Ethiopian community have been sworn at, and told to go back to where we come from. But generally, the Ethiopian community feels relatively safe in Newcastle.”

Another Ethiopian national, who runs a tuck shop in Barry Hertzog Park, said foreign nationals in suburban areas had largely avoided direct hostility, but uncertainty remained as protests and anti-immigration sentiment continued elsewhere.

“Our customers know that we are just here to look for better lives and opportunities, and in the suburbs, we are rarely targeted because of where we come from. But if it will stay like that, especially with all these marches, I don’t know. People must just remember, there are foreign nationals in the country legally, just trying to lead a better life for our families, and then there are those who break the law. Please do not paint us all with the same brush, as it is not fair.”

His comment reflects one of the central tensions in the broader immigration debate: the difference between lawful immigration enforcement and blanket hostility towards foreign nationals.

For many South Africans, concerns around undocumented migration, crime, and pressure on services are genuine issues that require state action.

However, for foreign nationals living legally in the country, the fear is that public frustration is increasingly being directed at anyone perceived to be foreign, regardless of their legal status or contribution to local communities.

This concern has also been raised by Nigerian civil society structures. Reverend Frank Onyekwelu, president of the Nigerian Citizens Association of South Africa, warned against blaming foreign nationals collectively for the country’s social and economic difficulties.

“While we recognise the challenges South Africa faces regarding unemployment and crime, it is dangerous and unfair to create the impression that foreign nationals are the primary cause of these problems. Criminality must never be ethnicised or nationalizsed,” he said.

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At government level, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola confirmed that he had spoken with Odumegwu-Ojukwu on Monday, 4 May 2026, with both countries agreeing to strengthen cooperation on migration-related challenges.

“We reflected on the challenges posed by irregular migration and committed to working to address the root causes, find common and sustainable solutions to this shared concern,” Lamola said.

The United Nations has also expressed concern over reports of xenophobic attacks, harassment and intimidation targeting migrants and foreign nationals in parts of South Africa, including KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned violence and incitement against foreign nationals, stating that such actions had no place in a democratic society governed by the rule of law and respect for human rights.

For Newcastle, the issue remains more measured, but not irrelevant.

Foreign-owned shops are part of the town’s commercial landscape, particularly in the CBD, residential suburbs, and high-footfall trading areas.

Many of these businesses serve local residents daily, while their owners live with the growing pressure of being caught between legitimate national concerns around illegal immigration and the risk of being unfairly targeted because of nationality.

The comments from Pakistani and Ethiopian residents point to a mixed local picture.

On one hand, Newcastle has not seen the same level of direct violence reported in other parts of the country. On the other, some foreign nationals say the tone has changed, with insults, suspicion and uncertainty becoming more noticeable.

As Nigeria prepares voluntary repatriation arrangements for citizens who feel unsafe, the situation serves as a warning that South Africa’s immigration debate is no longer confined to policy documents, border controls or political speeches. It is filtering into shops, streets, suburbs and communities.

The challenge for Newcastle, as with the rest of South Africa, is to ensure that genuine concerns around crime, undocumented migration and enforcement failures are addressed through lawful processes, without allowing frustration to become intimidation, vigilantism or blanket hostility towards foreign nationals who are legally trying to build a life in the country.

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