President Ramaphosa Reveals Police Probe Into Possible ‘Third Force’ Behind Anti-foreigner Violence

• President Cyril Ramaphosa told Parliament on 25 August 2026 that security agencies were tracking possible external interference in xenophobia attacks
• Ramaphosa was responding to questions from EFF leader Julius Malema, who demanded arrests of key anti-immigration activists
• South Africa raised the violence at the 46th SADC Summit in eThekwini and is pushing for coordinated regional dialogue on migration

SOUTH AFRICA — President Cyril Ramaphosa has disclosed that South African police and security services are actively investigating whether actors based outside the country played a role in inciting recent violence against foreign nationals.

Ramaphosa made the disclosure on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, during a National Assembly question session, responding directly to EFF leader Julius Malema over the government's response to attacks on migrants.

Forces outside SA under investigation

The president told Parliament that security agencies had identified activities by "a number of forces outside our country" that appeared to be stoking tensions between South Africans and other African nationals. He added that some African governments had independently flagged concerns about possible external manipulation of the unrest.

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"They have said, we know and we can see that quite a bit of this, certainly not all of it, but quite a bit of this is being propelled and instigated from outside of South Africa," Ramaphosa said.

He described the investigation as targeting both local perpetrators and individuals who may be operating from abroad.

"We are following those threads and those threats as well," he said.

Ramaphosa also said that the instigators of the violence would be prosecuted.

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SADC summit raises migration concerns

Ramaphosa confirmed that South Africa had stepped up diplomatic contact with neighbouring governments in response to the crisis. Although migration was not on the original agenda, the matter was raised at the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit held in eThekwini, where member states called for coordinated regional dialogue on migration and its root causes.

The president rejected suggestions that South Africa had been diplomatically isolated, saying several African governments remained willing partners. He maintained that addressing migration required regional cooperation through SADC, the African Union, and other multilateral bodies, alongside domestic accountability measures for those who committed criminal acts.

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Malema presses for arrests

Briefly News reported that Malema used the session to challenge the president on why anti-immigration activists Ngizwe Mchunu and Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, also known as Phakel'umthakathi, had not been arrested, despite having met with Ramaphosa before the 30 June protests. Malema also argued that the violence had caused significant damage to South Africa's diplomatic relationships across the continent, accusing the government of moving too slowly against those responsible.

Source: Briefly News