African diplomats in South Africa have announced a boycott of the 63rd Africa Day celebrations scheduled for Moruleng in the North West province.
Africa Day, celebrated annually on 25 May, marks the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, which later became the African Union.
South African media reported that the decision, led by Central African Republic ambassador and dean of the diplomatic corps André Nzapayeke, was prompted by concerns over recent xenophobic marches and attacks targeting foreign nationals.
“There will be thousands of people attending, and we cannot give these people assurance that they will be secured. We will be putting all the people at risk,” Nzapayeke said, confirming that the boycott was a collective decision.
In recent weeks, reports from South Africa indicated that African migrants were allegedly forced to produce residency documents during anti-immigration protests in provinces including KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
The boycott comes amid growing concern over anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa, which hosts an estimated 2.4 million migrants.
This year’s Africa Day celebrations are being held under the continental theme ’63 Years of Unity, Integration and Development: Let Us Celebrate Together’.
In Namibia, Africa Day will be celebrated at the Parliament Gardens in Windhoek under the theme ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063’.
