WCC speaks out against systemic, structural injustices in the context of xenophobia in South Africa

WCC speaks out against systemic, structural injustices in the context of xenophobia in South Africa

msc

Mon, 07/13/2026 - 17:38

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed grave concern about the developments of violence in South Africa targeting migrants from other African countries.

Image

Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth

“ The WCC recognizes that the violence experienced by African migrants in South Africa is instigated and perpetrated by a minority of South Africans, who are misdirecting their anger and frustration or are hijacking and misdirecting legitimate public frustrations by the majority of ordinary South Africans, ” said Pillay. “ The WCC refuses to erase the diverse people of South Africa by erasing their good deeds and radical hospitality toward siblings from across the continent. ”

Pillay acknowledged and lamented the fact that South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. “ Yet the sources of this suffering are too often obscured, ” he said. “ Through intentional and rigorous processes of moral discernment, we in the WCC name the…