John Hayward
19 Aug 2026
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday issued a formal apology to the president of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, for violence perpetrated against Mozambican nationals during South Africa’s recent anti-migrant protests.
The Mozambican Foreign Ministry said Ramaphosa tendered the apology during a lecture he was delivering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a major public research university in South Africa. President Chapo attended the lecture, as he was in South Africa to attend a summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Monday.
“President Ramaphosa, with all humility, apologized for the violence perpetrated by South African citizens against foreigners, including Mozambicans. It is true that the South African government has always treated this matter as illegal migration, but President Ramaphosa expressed his apology for the violence,” said Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria dos Santos Lucas.
“This matter was not well managed. There were errors in management, although we are not here to criticize,” dos Santos added, chiding Ramaphosa’s government while ostensibly accepting his apology.
The Mozambican foreign minister also stated Ramaphosa would “continue to address the xenophobic violence with his counterparts” during the SADC meeting on Monday.