The video is old and the caption misleading. President Cyril Ramaphosa was a panellist addressing the delegates of Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa hosted by Senegal in December 2021.
This post on Facebook claiming Europe has banned South Africans following xenophobic claims is FALSE.
“Europe bans South Africans following xenophobic claims. No South African is allowed to travel to Europe,” reads the post’s caption.
The video alleges that following South Africa’s recent and ongoing attacks on foreign nationals living in the Southern Africa country, Europe has imposed a travel ban.
The recent xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant mobilisation in South Africa, led by the March and March movement, intensified in April and May 2026, culminating in nationwide protests on 30 June. The demonstrations in cities including Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban triggered widespread displacement, forcing thousands of migrants to flee, seek refuge at consulates or return to their home countries
Were South Africans banned from traveling to Europe?
A Google image reverse search led The Besana Mail to similar videos such as this posted on Linkedin in December 2021 and this shared on Facebook on 9 October 2023. Both videos indicate that Ramaphosa was speaking at the forum in December 2021.
Further, Besana Mail found photos published by South Africa’s Office of the President showing Ramaphosa at the conference, a comparison of the background and dressing, shows they are similar to what is in the video.
The Office of the President of South Africa also shared this video on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on 6 December 2021, showing President Cyril Ramaphosa making some of the remarks featured in the clip under review. In the video, Ramaphosa criticises the way some European countries treated African leaders and nations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Ramaphosa is heard in his full address, from which the circulating clip was cut from, talking about the reasons why Africa should unite and treat each other better, through fostering peace and having mutual respect. In the video Ramaphosa said Africans were disrespected by Europe.
Europe travel rules are gazetted and enforced by individual European countries or collectively by the European Union. There is no official statement by the EU or individual country banning South Africans to travel or enter their countries.
Online searches found no evidence or statement that Europe has banned South Africans in 2026 over xenophobic claims.
Recently, Spain expanded its list of African countries eligible for visa-free access for up to 90 days. However, South Africa is not included on this list. This means that South African citizens will still need to apply for a regular Schengen visa at an embassy to travel to Spain. This is not linked to xenophobia and it’s not a ban.
The Besana Mail – Zim Truth Radar examined a Facebook post claiming Europe bans South Africans following xenophobic claims, and found it to be FALSE.
This fact-check was produced by The Besana Mail as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA)incubation programme. It was produced with peer-mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway. AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with The Besana Mail. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/
