Zulu King Calls for Respect for Borders
Zulu monarch King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has called for Africa to reject xenophobic violence while respecting the sovereignty and immigration laws of every nation.
In a statement issued after meeting President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare on Monday, King Misuzulu said he travelled to Zimbabwe “as a son of Africa,” stressing that the continent’s greatest strength lies in its shared history, humanity and responsibility to one another.
The king said he entered Zimbabwe through normal immigration procedures, arguing that border controls and immigration laws are universal principles of international law, not acts of xenophobia.
“Violence against any innocent person can never be justified, but no sovereign state should be expected to abandon enforcement of its immigration laws for fear of being labelled xenophobic,” he said.
He warned against polarising the migration debate, saying concerns over illegal immigration should not automatically be labelled xenophobia, while blaming foreign nationals for every social challenge was equally misguided.
King Misuzulu said Southern Africa’s shared history should foster mutual respect, not disregard for national laws, and rejected portrayals of South Africans as inherently xenophobic, saying lawful migrants should always be treated with dignity while illegal migration should be addressed through the rule of law rather than violence.