Human rights activist and former federal lawmaker Shehu Sani has described the lack of support for Bafana Bafana at the 2026 World Cup by some African countries as the price of South Africa’s xenophobic mob actions.
The former Senator, who represented the Kaduna Central Senatorial District, made this known on Thursday in a post shared on his verified X handle.
He was reacting to South Africa’s loss to hosts Mexico in the opening game of the tournament.
Bafana Bafana suffered a 2-0 defeat in the opening match played at the Mexico City Stadium.
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Similarly, South Africa’s Themba Zwane and Yaya Sithole received red cards from Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio during the encounter.
Reflecting on the result, their captain Ronwen Williams said he was surprised by the level of support Mexico appeared to receive from African football fans, and urged greater continental unity during major international competitions.
“Africans have always supported other African countries in every World Cup tournament, but I can’t figure out why our own case is different,” Williams said. “Many Africans supported Mexico, not us, the South Africans. We almost shed tears, and it’s truly sad. As Africans, let’s stand for each other; let’s stand together,” he said.
However, while reacting to the development, Sani said, “Bafana are paying the price for the behaviour of the xenophobic mobs in their country.”