As South Africa prepares to face Mexico in its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday night, Zimbabwean journalist and activist Hopewell Chin’ono has explained why he will be supporting Bafana Bafana despite growing tensions surrounding anti-foreigner sentiments in South Africa.
His comments come at a time when many Africans on social media have vowed to support any team playing against South Africa, citing recent protests and campaigns targeting undocumented foreign nationals in the country.
Growing backlash against anti-foreigner campaigns
Over the past few weeks, social media platforms have been flooded with debates over the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa.
Some activist groups and protesters have called for undocumented migrants to leave the country by 30 June, while isolated incidents involving attacks on foreign nationals have fuelled anger across the continent.
As a result, some Africans have declared that they will support Mexico in Thursday night’s World Cup clash as a form of protest against the anti-foreigner rhetoric.
However, Chin’ono said he could not bring himself to support Mexico against a country that has given him refuge.
Journalist defends foreigners: ‘South Africa is also my home’
In a lengthy social media post, Chin’ono said his support for Bafana Bafana goes beyond football.
“South Africa is an African nation, and I will always have a natural affinity for fellow Africans,” he wrote.
The veteran journalist said South Africa had provided him with sanctuary during difficult periods in his life and had offered opportunities to millions of Africans seeking safety and a better future.
“South Africa is also my home. It has given me sanctuary and has given millions of other Africans a place to live, work, and rebuild their lives,” he said.
Chin’ono noted that despite occasionally receiving insults on social media, he has never personally experienced victimisation from South Africans.
Refusing to judge a nation by a minority
The journalist argued that it would be unfair to judge an entire country based on the actions of a small group of people.
“I cannot support Mexico simply because a small minority of South Africans have insulted me or made offensive remarks about Africans. That would be neither logical nor fair,” he said.
According to Chin’ono, the fact that millions of Africans continue to live, work, study and raise families in South Africa demonstrates that the majority of South Africans are welcoming and decent people.
He warned against allowing extremists and troublemakers to define an entire nation.
“No country is perfect. Every society has its extremists, its bigots, and its troublemakers. The mistake is to allow those people to define an entire nation,” he wrote.
Message to Africans supporting Mexico over treatment of foreigners
While acknowledging that everyone has the right to support whichever team they choose, Chin’ono questioned the reasoning behind solely because of anti-foreigner remarks made by some South Africans.
He said supporting another country out of resentment towards a minority of South Africans risks unfairly painting the entire nation with the same brush.
For Chin’ono, his overall experience in South Africa outweighs the actions of a few individuals.
“South Africa has given me a home, opportunities, and safety. I choose to judge the country by my overall experience and by the millions of decent South Africans I have encountered,” he said.
As Bafana Bafana begin their World Cup campaign against Mexico, Chin’ono says football fans should remain free to support whichever team they prefer.
However, he believes people should avoid letting anger towards a small group of individuals shape their view of an entire country.
“Those people do not define South Africa. Judge people as individuals, not an entire country by the actions of a few,” he concluded.