Burna Boy has vowed never to step into South Africa again following xenophobic attacks against foreign Africans this week.
The Nigerian Afrofusion star took to his Twitter to condemn the recent violent attacks by South Africans on Nigerians and others from the continent. Five people have been killed in the unrest that started last week in Tshwane, Pretoria. By Tuesday, police had arrested over 150 allegedly involved in the violence that started in Johannesburg on Friday, CNN reports.
“…Today after watching the Killing of my people in South Africa the same way we have all watched it happen a few times in the past. F–K ALL THAT!” he wrote.
Burna Boy also cited his own xenophobic experiences within the country as the reason he has yet to return in the last two years.
“I have not set foot in SA since 2017. And I will NOT EVER go to South Africa again for any reason until the SOUTH AFRICAN government wakes the fuck up and really performs A miracle because I don’t know how they can even possibly fix this, ” he added.
I have not set foot in SA since 2017. And I will NOT EVER go to South Africa again for any reason until the SOUTH AFRICAN government wakes the fuck up and really performs A miracle because I don’t know how they can even possibly fix this.
— Burna Boy (@burnaboy) September 3, 2019
This isn’t the first time South Africa has been rocked by anti-African violence. In April, protestors forced hundreds of Africans from their homes and looted their businesses in Durban, claiming that foreigners had taken jobs that should have been filled by them.
In 2017, violent anti-immigrant protests broke out in the capital Pretoria and in 2015, several people were killed and thousands fled after xenophobic attacks across the country.
“This goes against everything I stand 4, but at what point do we take action?” Burna asked. “I understand that years of Oppression has confused South Africans to the point where they see the [people] who came to their [defense] during their Oppression as their Enemies and then worship their oppressors.”
Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage also responded to the news of the attacks by choosing to cancel an upcoming concert over “the barbaric butchering of my people in SA.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday called on all South Africans to stop the violence and looting targeted at foreigners.
“There can be no justification for any South African to attack people from other countries,” he said.