A viral video has intensified debate over xenophobia and race in South Africa after a group of Black South Africans was seen addressing immigrant business owners of other races, urging them to stop employing Black workers from elsewhere on the continent.

The footage, widely circulated on social media, shows a Black South African man speaking to a room of Arab and Asian shop owners. He tells them they must prioritise hiring South African citizens and dismiss Black African immigrants working in their stores.

In the clip, the speaker frames the demand as a collective obligation. When a woman in the audience challenges him, asking whether noncompliant shops would cause everyone to “suffer,” he responds affirmatively, implying that all foreign-owned businesses could face consequences if some continue to employ non-South African Africans.

The video’s caption alleges that Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and other non-African shop owners were “summoned” to what were described as board-style meetings. There, they were reportedly pressured to terminate the employment of African nationals from countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria and others.

The incident comes against a backdrop of recurring tensions over migration in South Africa. Grassroots groups and online campaigns have increasingly targeted Black African migrants, accusing them of taking jobs, straining public services and contributing to crime. Human rights organisations and researchers have repeatedly disputed these broad claims, warning that such rhetoric fuels violence and discrimination.

Recent reports and social media evidence have shown Black African immigrants being harassed in townships and informal settlements, with some forced from their homes or businesses. In separate incidents, hospital staff have been filmed or accused of denying treatment to non-South African Black patients, raising alarm among medical and legal advocates about breaches of ethical and constitutional obligations.

Critics note a stark contradiction in the attitudes displayed in the video. While the speakers demand the exclusion of fellow Africans from the labour market, they appear to accept the presence and economic dominance of non-Black immigrant communities, provided they comply with the hiring demands.

Commentators across the continent have condemned the scenes as a painful inversion of pan-African ideals, arguing that South Africa, once a beneficiary of regional solidarity during the anti-apartheid struggle, is now witnessing open hostility toward other Africans seeking work and safety within its borders.