Babino, a Ghanaian Living in South Africa, Speaks on the Situation for Foreigners
Babino, a Ghanaian based in South Africa, says life has become increasingly difficult for foreign nationals. According to him, South African authorities have intensified the arrest of illegal immigrants, deporting those without valid documents back to their home countries. Officials even visit companies to check if they employ too many foreigners and carry out inspections on buses and in public spaces.
He explained that while some of these operations are official, others are carried out by ordinary South Africans who take advantage of the situation to harass people. They pretend to be enforcing the law, arrest foreigners, demand money, and then leave them stranded.
Babino recalled knowing a woman who went to an immigration office for processing but didn’t have the required permit. She was detained for four months. In South Africa, if you are set to be deported, you must pay for your own ticket; otherwise, you remain in prison until the government can fund your deportation. Those from neighboring countries are usually deported in buses, but the atmosphere in Johannesburg has become particularly tense.
He criticized locals who blame foreigners for taking jobs. For example, they claim a roadside mechanic who attracts customers is taking business from a white-owned mechanic shop that pays taxes. However, Babino noted that skilled workers, like Uber drivers, often operate by applying online from home.
He also shared a disturbing incident from a few months ago: On a white-owned farm, workers — including a Zimbabwean woman — picked up discarded food. The farm owner allegedly shot them, and when citizens arrived, they found out he had fed the bodies to pigs. This happened about five months ago. By the time people got there, the pigs had eaten the victims. Despite the brutality, the farmer was granted bail and given protection, reportedly because of racial bias. The farm has since been shut down. Ironically, the farmer’s wife is Zimbabwean, and they have two children together.
Babino warned that crime rates in South Africa are rising. Foreigners are frequent targets — from being robbed while shopping to having cars hijacked. He said his own car was hijacked, and another person’s phone theft led to their arrest because the police tracking system flagged it as stolen. Criminals will even shoot or stab you for a phone, and if “Find My iPhone” is active, buyers of stolen devices can also get into trouble.
In one incident, a criminal on trial had friends ambush police cars and shoot officers.
According to Babino, the only relatively safe area in South Africa is KwaZulu-Natal, where the rules allow police to shoot to kill, which has helped keep crime rates lower compared to other regions.
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