In a Kenyan sports bar, several football fans cheered South Africa’s opponents in their latest match at the World Cup — reflecting a wave of anger at the country’s recent xenophobic violence.
“Everything is political in football. We’re against what South Africa is standing for,” said Shahim, a 37-year-old Kenyan woman, clenching her fists in joy every time the South African team missed an opportunity against the Czech Republic on Thursday night.
“We want (South Africans) to react against what is happening in their country… But nothing happens,” she added.
South Africa has been gripped for months by protests demanding the departure of undocumented immigrants.
The marches have never exceeded a few thousand people, but they have been accompanied by a torrent of xenophobic hatred online and received significant media attention.
That has flipped the usual script during the World Cup, when African nations traditionally support each other.
“We support all the other African teams. This is to teach them that there are consequences,” said Shahim’s friend, Fatma, a 34-year-old farmer.
“When you have a superiority complex, you suffer alone,” she added.
South Africa says it has repatriated 2,745 foreigners following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
Ghana and Nigeria have repatriated several hundred of their citizens, and some 600 Mozambicans returned home after violence in the southern city of Mossel Bay that left at least two dead.
It has shocked many across the continent and turned football fans against the Bafana Bafana, as the South African team is known.
There was joy when the team lost to Mexico last week. A popular social media meme showed a map of the African continent covered with the Mexican flag, excluding South Africa.
“The whole continent seems to have become Afro-Mexican,” quipped Wode Maya, a popular vlogger in Ghana, asking his fans to reply in Spanish.
Even a spokesperson for the Confederation of African Football, Ibrahim Sannie Daara, joined in, posting on X: “You cannot mistreat Africa and still expect Africa’s full blessing on the world stage,” though he later moderated his remarks and called on all Africans to wear the South African jersey.
– ‘Unacceptable’ –
The atmosphere remained light-hearted in the Nairobi bar visited by AFP for the Czech Republic match — which ended in a draw — where a few South Africans were present.
Edwin, a 50-year-old Kenyan communications professional, said he was determined to support all African teams: “You can’t judge a whole country because of a minority.”
He recalled even harsher times in east Africa, when dictator Idi Amin Dada expelled tens of thousands of Ugandans of Indo-Pakistani origin in 1972.
But others were less forgiving.
“It is not because you don’t have jobs that you can attack Africans,” said Richie, a Tanzanian consultant visiting Nairobi, recalling his country’s support for black South Africans during the apartheid era.
“Unless they change, we will do it over and over,” he added.
The South African Football Association issued a statement on Wednesday denouncing the “online harassment and abusive messages” directed at its players, which it said was “unacceptable”.
At a press conference on Thursday, Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams admitted “it does hurt”.
“You want to focus on doing your job, which is being a footballer, but then you get involved in politics and you don’t want to get into that space,” he said.
