By Damilare Adeleye
Founder of My Growth Fund Venture Partners, Vusi Thembekwayo, has rejected narratives portraying South Africans as xenophobic, urging African nations to prioritise economic unity over divisive rhetoric.
By Damilare AdeleyeThembekwayo spoke on May 2, 2026, at The Platform Nigeria 2026, the annual Workers’ Day event convened by Poju Oyemade.Addressing xenophobia claims, the South African investor said branding the entire nation with such a label oversimplifies a complex reality.
“Contrary to what you see in the media, South Africans are not xenophobic. I am not saying that there are no xenophobic people in South Africa. I am simply saying that to say the entire nation is xenophobic would be missing the point,” he said.
Thembekwayo described South Africa as one of the most diverse societies in the world, where different groups largely interact and function together.
He said many of the largest companies in South Africa are led by executives from across Africa.
“There are 65 million people in South Africa. We have 11 official languages, one of the most diverse societies in the world, and even though that is the case, we get along with most people. If you go and look at the largest companies in South Africa and the CEOs or boards of those companies, you will find that the CEOs or boards or C-suite executives are many people from the rest of Africa,” he said.
The entrepreneur warned against misinformation and external narratives that could deepen divisions among Africans.“I think that there is an agenda to turn us against each other,” he said, calling for deliberate dialogue and cross-border engagement.
“So what I like to think we can do is to reach across the divide and have actual conversations and understand what is actually happening so we can find each other,” he added.
Citing his recent visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Ghana, Thembekwayo said many of Africa’s challenges have stemmed from internal conflicts rather than external forces alone. He referenced the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah and the fate of Patrice Lumumba.
“We as a people have to do better. This is as a people dragging each other as a people, fighting each other as a people, swearing at each other as a people, calling each other names as a people. It has to stop at some point,” he said.
He expressed hope that the church could serve as a unifying space for Africans beyond national or cultural divides.
“And I genuinely hope that we can use the church as a platform to bring Africans together because we’re different until we start worshiping under the same Christ. My hope for every single person in this room is that you’d find the courage to be the light,” Thembekwayo said.
“Sure, speak truth, but speak the honest truth and speak it to the right people. And if we must call each other out, let’s do it to each other. The theater of the rest of the world is watching us, saying you see these people again, they can’t get along,” he added.
He commended The Platform for driving continental dialogue. “That’s why I’m so passionate about the work that my brother Pastor Poju does with the platform. That’s why I said to you some years ago, the platform has to be the platform for Africa, and you executed on that,” he said.
Thembekwayo said intra-African collaboration is essential to achieving sustainable development, arguing that the continent’s progress depends on forging strategic partnerships that harness collective strengths.