Nigeria, July 29 -- Over the past few months, South Africans have witnessed scenes that would trouble the conscience of any nation.

Vigilante groups have hunted down immigrants in their homes and in the streets. Spaza shops have been looted and burnt. Families who came here seeking opportunity and safety have been herded into makeshift encampments, while African governments have had to hire buses and charter special flights to evacuate their citizens from a country they once regarded as a beacon of hope.

Men and women who share our continent, our history and, in many cases, our struggle for freedom, have been made to feel like strangers, intruders and outcasts. They have been told that they do not belong.

Those who are behind the prote...