Museveni Warns Ramaphosa He Has Fallen Into an Enemy Trap

President Museveni addressing South Africans repatriated from South Africa in Kyankwanzi

President Yoweri Museveni has warned against any retaliatory attacks or expulsion of South Africans living in Uganda following xenophobic attacks that targeted Ugandans and other foreign nationals in South Africa, saying that such a move only serves the interests of Africa’s enemies.

Uganda and other African countries have evacuated their citizens from South Africa following a June 30 deadline issued by vigilante pressure groups, principally the March to March group demanding that all undocumented foreign nationals leave South Africa.

This ultimatum contributed to attacks against foreign nationals and damage to businesses owned by immigrants from across the African continent.

At least three Ugandan citizens were killed in attacks while the country evacuated at least 1,130 nationals.

Addressing Ugandans who were repatriated from South Africa in Kyankwanzi, Museveni said he raised the matter directly with his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“I spoke to President [Cyril] Ramaphosa and told him that you have fallen into the enemy’s trap because that is exactly what Africa’s enemies want. If we also chase away South Africans living and working in Uganda, we will be doing exactly what our enemies want,” he said.

The President pointed to the scale of South African investment in Uganda, saying that it much outweighs the losses suffered by Ugandans whose small businesses were destroyed in the attacks.

“South African businesses are thriving in Uganda. MTN, for example, operates here. In fact, South African investments in Uganda are far bigger than the small-scale businesses some Ugandans were operating in South Africa that were destroyed,” Museveni said.

Drawing on his own experience of displacement, Museveni told the repatriated Ugandans that he understood exile, having spent eight years fighting the regime of former President Idi Amin, while his family endured a further five years in exile during the Luweero war.

“I lived in exile for eight years while fighting Idi Amin, so I know what exile means. My family also lived in exile for five years during the Luweero war. Altogether, my family spent 13 years in exile,” he said, adding that the family’s exile had been driven by poor governance rather than the search for employment.

“We were fleeing poor governance; we were not looking for jobs. Now that Uganda is free, none of my family members remains in exile. They all returned home. All my children are here because the opportunities and wealth available in Uganda are far greater than the jobs many people leave the country to look for abroad,” he said.

Museveni renewed his long-standing appeal against labour migration, telling Ugandans that those who encourage them to seek work abroad were misleading them.

“Those encouraging you to go abroad in search of work are misleading you. When I hear what happened to Ugandans in South Africa, and about those who travel to Arab countries looking for jobs, I ask myself what they are really seeking. Even spending just two weeks in America feels like a punishment to me because Uganda is a much better place,” he said.

No Ugandan, he said, should leave the country in search of work abroad, noting that the country has everything