South African venture capitalist and international speaker Vusi Thembekwayo has attracted attention online after making comments that some observers have described as contradictory regarding xenophobia in South Africa.
Speaking at a church program known as “The Platform,” Vusi addressed recent reports of xenophobic vi0lence and argued that South Africans are not inherently xenophobic.
According to him, there appears to be an effort to create division among Africans, stressing that it would be unfair to label all South Africans as xenophobic. He pointed to the country’s diversity and noted that many South African companies have board members from other African nations.
However, in a separate video shared days after returning to South Africa, Vusi appeared to take a different tone. He claimed that certain communities had been significantly transformed by the presence of people from a particular nationality, stating that some areas no longer resembled the neighborhoods he remembered while growing up.
In the same video, he also reflected on his personal experiences as an immigrant in other countries.
The contrasting remarks have since sparked debate on social media, with some critics accusing him of promoting xenophobic sentiments despite his earlier call for unity. Others, however, argue that he was highlighting existing social and economic tensions without unfairly targeting any specific group.