There has been a widely circulating
social media post claiming that, in response to rising xenophobic violence in South Africa, Tanzania’s President Samia suluhu hassan has allegedly given South African citizens 48 hours to leave the country. The post also claims that she ordered the immediate suspension of all air travel and trade relations with South Africa.
In addition, the claim states that in a firm speech, she criticized the South African government, accusing it of having “forgotten the support received during the struggle for independence” and of allowing “our children to be humiliated in a country that once sheltered exiles who fought against apartheid.”
However, based on online verification, there is no official information from Tanzania confirming that the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has issued any such directive giving South African citizens 48 hours to leave the country.
In recent days, the President has not made any statement regarding South African citizens, and official government communication channels such as the State House communications have not released any directive . Therefore, this information is misleading.
This claim appears to be linked to ongoing demonstartion in South Africa, where there have been protests calling for the removal of undocumented (illegal) migrants. These protests are reportedly driven by accusations that such migrants are taking jobs and contributing to crime.
In response to the situation in South Africa, the
Tanzanian Embassy clarified that reports circulating about a Tanzanian being attacked are not recent but relate to an incident that occurred several years ago. According to the embassy, the individual was not attacked because of being a foreign national but was instead accused of committing a moral offense.
