Prominent South African speaker and venture capital expert, Vusi Thembekwayo, has called on religious organisations to work towards helping to reconcile and unite Africans through shared values, instead of amplifying the differences among them.

Mr. Thembekwayo threw this challenge against the backdrop of the ongoing xenophobic protests and attacks in parts of South Africa, where at least two Nigerians have been reportedly killed in the violence. The attacks have triggered outrage in Nigeria and other countries in Africa, whose citizens are also targeted by the protesters.

He was speaking at the 2026 edition of The Platform Nigeria, an annual forum organized by The Covenant Nation in Lagos, where he urged against using isolated incidents of violence perpetrated by some persons to define the character of an entire country.

While acknowledging that some South Africans exhibit xenophobic tendencies, he dismissed the notion that South Africa as a nation is a xenophobic country.

“I believe there is an agenda to turn us against each other,” he said, drawing attention to the country’s multi-racial configuration as evidence of coexistence.

“We are one of the most diverse societies in the world, and even though that is the case, we get along with most people,” he said, adding that people are fueling the xenophobia agenda “when we feed the noise and fire”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa had weighed in on the violence and attacks against foreigners in South Africa, condemning the actions. While maintaining that all foreigners living in the country have a duty to abide by the laws of the country, he reminded his fellow citizens that Africans played major role in the liberation of their country from the oppressive Apartheid regime.

The attacks have been targeted at businesses owned by migrants from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Somalia and other African countries. They accuse the foreigners of taking up jobs meant for them, abusing their women and dealing in drugs in various communities.

But for Thembekwayo, the Church must lead the way in reconciling people and confronting bad behaviour. “We are different until we start worshipping under the same Christ,” he said.