South Africa Names Ruto in Fight Against Xenophobia Claims
President William Ruto's June State Visit to South Africa has emerged at the centre of the country's defence against claims that the country has been isolated over recent xenophobia allegations. In a presser. . .
President William Ruto's June State Visit to South Africa has emerged at the centre of the country's defence against claims that the country has been isolated over recent xenophobia allegations. In a presser by President Cyril Ramaphosa's office, Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya cited Ruto's State Visit as evidence that South Africa remains strongly connected to its fellow African nations. The South African government dismissed claims that the country had become a 'pariah state', saying it had consistently condemned attacks targeting foreign nationals. "Recent evidence shows that this is a false campaign. South Africa is not isolated. On the contrary, South Africa remains firmly engaged with our African continent and the rest of the world," he said. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa(left) and President William Ruto(right) during the two-day state visit in South Africa on June 4. PCSThe spokesperson also accused unnamed diplomatic representatives of spreading misinformation to create the impression that South Africa had been shunned by its African neighbours. As part of its defence, South Africa highlighted Ruto's three-day State Visit to Pretoria, which began on June 3, 2026, at Ramaphosa's invitation. The President arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base aboard a privately chartered Boeing, sparkingdebate over his continued use of leased luxury aircraftfor official travel. During the visit, Ruto and Ramaphosa held bilateral talks, where they discussed strengthening diplomatic relations, expanding trade and investment and regional security. While in the foreign country, the Head of State also attended a Kenya-South Africa Business Forum aimed at boosting commercial ties between the two countries. Magwenya said Ruto's visit formed part of a broader diplomatic agenda that has seen Ramaphosa engage leaders across Africa, including the Presidents of Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. "Since the beginning of this year to date, President Ramaphosa has engaged with various leaders on the African continent, hosting President Ruto on a statevisit anddiscussing issues of migration with the Presidents of Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe," said Magwenya. South Africa's reference to Ruto's visit comes against the backdrop of rising tensions over anti-immigrant protests that have affected thousands of foreign nationals, including Kenyans. In June and July this year, theKenyan government undertook an emergency evacuation operationthat saw more than 400 Kenyans repatriated from South Africa over xenophobic violence. The returnees, who reported widespread intimidation, harassment and threats of forced evictions, were flown back to Kenya aboard Kenya Airways at the government's expense. A Kenya plane about to take off at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for Haiti on Saturday, January 18, 2025. PhotoMinistry of Interior