African migrants in South Africa say they are living in fear after a series of marches demanding that illegal immigrants leave the country, which have reignited long-standing xenophobic sentiments. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

The campaign March & March, at the forefront of recent protests, has given people living in the country illegally until June 30 to leave, without specifying what will happen to those who do not.

Mozambique reported that five of its citizens were killed in "xenophobic attacks" in late May. South African police said two Mozambicans and one South African died during an outbreak of violence in Mossel Bay on the southern coast.

About 60 miles southeast of Cape Town, around 100 people from Mozambique and Malawi took shelter in the Kleinmond town hall last week after an angry mob told foreigners in an informal settlement that they must leave. Many told Reuters they want help from their governments to return home. Ghana has organized flights for several hundred of its citizens to leave South Africa.

"Every day and almost everyone I meet, they are in fear, in extreme fear," said an Ethiopian entrepreneur who moved to South Africa in 2000 and is married to a local woman. The couple has a 19-year-old daughter. "The sad thing is that it's not because they are undocumented... But no legal documents will protect you from violence."

South Africa has long imported labor migrants, especially for work in mines. After the 1994 election that ended white minority rule, Nelson Mandela welcomed African migrants. Meanwhile, poverty and economic hardship in many neighboring countries, including hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, have pushed people south.

Chronic unemployment and inequality have led many South Africans to blame African immigrants for their problems, and resentment periodically erupts into violence. 62 people were killed during riots in 2008, including 21 South Africans, and more than 150,000 were displaced. In 2015, at least five people died.

The share of South Africans who said they welcome all immigrants fell from a quarter in 2020 to 15% last year, according to surveys by the Human Sciences Research Council, a state body. The unemployment rate rose by 3.4 percentage points to 43.1% since 2020.

"People are struggling to hold the government accountable, and it's easier to blame migrants," said Sharon Ekambaram, head of the refugee and migrant program at Lawyers for Human Rights.

The number of foreign-born people in South Africa nearly tripled to 2.4 million between 1996 and 2022, according to census data, which includes undocumented individuals. That accounted for 3.9% of the 62 million population, compared to 2% in 1996.

March & March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, who advocates for mass deportation, claims illegal immigration "is between 15 and 30 million." "South Africa is now under invasion. South Africans have become refugees in their own country," she said last month.

Founded in March 2025, March & March has crossed South Africa organizing protests. On March 30, the group held a demonstration in KuGompo City (formerly East London) after locals were outraged by later-discredited reports that a Nigerian had been crowned king. Since then, marches have taken place in cities such as Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria.

Asked about the group's funding, Ngobese-Zuma told local outlet Daily Maverick: "We receive funding from concerned South Africans, but we also have a social media page where our supporters can contribute. They contribute financially, but some contribute in kind."

Another notable figure in the marches is Ngizwe Mchunu. The radio DJ was acquitted of charges of inciting riots in July 2021, in which more than 350 people were killed after former president Jacob Zuma was sent to prison.

Ahead of local elections in November, some small parties, including ActionSA and Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), are trying to gain support by associating themselves with the protests.

Politicians from the African National Congress are trying to strike a more nuanced line. "South Africans from all walks of life have expressed concerns about migration and illegal immigration... These concerns are real. They deserve to be heard. They deserve to be addressed," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised address on Sunday evening.

He promised to crack down on illegal immigration and corruption in the country's border agencies and stressed that only state officials have the right to demand proof of citizenship. "We will not allow and must not allow groups to use the legitimate concerns of South Africans to destabilize our country by inciting lawlessness and violence," Ramaphosa said.

Otlhotleng Mokgatle, a political analyst at consulting firm Control Risks, said: