‘Stop portraying Africans as barbaric’: Herman Mashaba on video ‘demeaning Nigerians’

‘When someone attacks another African on the basis of generalisation, I will not defend that’

While ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba tends to be critical of illegal immigration, with some of his views in the past causing a stir among Africans, he has defended Nigerians after a demeaning viral post on social media labelled them “useless”.

A controversial account on X named Lebona Cabonena posted a video of people walking in a desert, claiming: “Nigeria gained independence on October 1 1960 from the white Europeans of Britain. Today there are Nigerian men, women and children crossing the Sahara Desert on foot to go into Europe to the white people because Nigerians are useless.” 

Mashaba was unhappy about the remarks, saying: “Stop portraying us Africans as barbaric and always destroyers. This makes some of us angry and invokes our experiences of our painful past. Imagine if we start posting images of the barbaric and inhumane manner we were treated during our recent history [apartheid]. Please let’s stop these generalisations and expose our prejudices.”

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Mashaba said he noticed a trend on social media which portrayed Africans as “people who cannot lead”. 

“There are accounts on social media that depict us [Africans] as barbaric and corrupt. If we allow this to continue our children and grandchildren will accept what these people portray us to be. This is the same thing that happened during slavery, when we were made to be people who are not capable of doing anything,” he said. 

The people who are suffering all over are not suffering because they want to suffer.ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba

While some debated that African countries were suffering from unemployment and supported the narrative that “Africans cannot lead”, Mashaba said their sentiments were “foolish”. 

“You have to be a fool to believe black people cannot lead. The same people who have that mentality have corrupted the ANC in the past 30 years and blame all black people. We are not fools and we will not accept the generalisation. If a black person is corrupt, let it be that person. If a white person is racist, let it be that person. We should not generalise.” 

While some in the past deemed his comments about illegal immigration as “instigating xenophobia”, he said he will defend African identity from sweeping prejudices. 

“I am a proud, God-created, black man and an African — and when someone attacks another African on the basis of generalisation, I will not defend that. I believe in the rule of law. The people who are suffering all over are not suffering because they want to suffer, including in our country.” 

TimesLIVE