DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – Anti-immigrant protesters carrying national flags and traditional wooden weapons marched through several South African cities on Tuesday, marking the expiry of a self-imposed deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country. While many demonstrations remained peaceful, others descended into violence and looting.
Thousands of African migrants had already fled South Africa ahead of the deadline, prompting widespread business closures and keeping many foreign workers off the streets amid fears of further attacks following months of escalating unrest that has drawn international condemnation.
At least four people have been killed in the violence, while thousands of foreign nationals have been displaced from their homes and seen their businesses and property vandalised.
Leaders of the anti-migrant movement said the demonstrations would continue until their demands are met.
“For the next six months, we are asking for our national resources to be used to take the illegal immigrants out of this country. From building to building—they must go,” said Jacinta Ngobese, leader of the March and March movement, during a rally in the port city of Durban.
Among the demonstrators was 31-year-old Silindile Xaba, who blamed undocumented migrants for South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
“People are not working. The jobs are being taken by illegal foreigners. It’s not fair,” she said.
Political analysts have accused some politicians of exploiting anti-immigrant sentiment to gain support ahead of local government elections scheduled for November.
Many migrants interpreted Tuesday’s deadline as a direct threat to their safety.
Although numerous demonstrations passed without incident, police confirmed that several people had been arrested for looting.
In Thembisa, north of Johannesburg, protesters reportedly threw stones at police officers and individuals believed to be foreign nationals, while sporadic gunfire was heard near the city’s central business district.
The Daily Maverick reported that police deployed tactical response units and fired warning shots in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, after officers were confronted by hundreds of protesters.
In Soweto, demonstrators looted informal homes belonging to foreign nationals, while the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported that police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters in Pietermaritzburg, near Durban.
Observers noted that attacks often make little distinction between documented and undocumented migrants.
The March and March movement denied responsibility for spontaneous violence carried out by individuals.
“Unfortunately, we can’t be in every single community telling them how to behave,” Ngobese told Reuters in an earlier interview.
Witnesses told Reuters that landlords in both Durban and Johannesburg had evicted foreign tenants ahead of the demonstrations for fear that their buildings would be attacked.
Around 100 Congolese nationals were reportedly sleeping on the streets of Durban after being forced from their accommodation, according to Reuters journalists on the ground.
The demonstrations have attracted thousands of mostly unemployed or low-income South Africans who blame foreign nationals for worsening unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.
Authorities deployed thousands of police officers across affected areas, while the military was placed on standby.
South Africa has experienced recurring outbreaks of xenophobic violence since 2008. Critics argue that repeated attacks, combined with an inadequate response by security agencies, have damaged the country’s international reputation as a defender of human rights and strained diplomatic relations with other African nations.
Researchers, however, dispute many of the claims made against migrants, saying there is little evidence that immigrants are responsible for rising crime, unemployment or the deterioration of public services.
Despite remaining Africa’s largest economy, South Africa continues to grapple with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, with around one-third of its labour force out of work more than three decades after the end of apartheid.
According to Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), the country is home to approximately three million migrants, representing around four per cent of the population—a comparatively low proportion by international standards.
Deputy National Commissioner for Policing Tebello Mosikili said authorities had opened 103 criminal cases against anti-foreigner vigilante groups since March.
While condemning the violence, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that public concerns about illegal immigration were genuine.
“South Africans’ deep concerns about illegal immigration are real and they deserve to be heard,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
“But the right to protest does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence.”
South African officials have also pointed out that immigration has become an increasingly contentious issue in many Western countries, where political divisions and misinformation have fuelled similar tensions.
Source: Reuters
