'Extreme fear' among immigrants amid anti-immigrant wave in South Africa
African migrants in South Africa say they are living in fear after a series of marches demanding the deportation of illegal immigrants, which have reignited xenophobic sentiments in the country. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The group March & March, leading the protests, demanded that those living illegally in the country leave by June 30, without specifying what would happen to those who do not comply.
Mozambique reported that five of its citizens were killed in 'xenophobic attacks' in late May. South African police confirmed the deaths of two Mozambicans and one South African 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 after an angry mob demanded that foreigners in an informal settlement leave.
Many of them, according to Reuters, are asking their governments to help them return home. Ghana has organized flights for several hundred of its citizens wishing to leave South Africa.
'Every day and almost everyone I meet is afraid, extremely afraid,' 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 of a lack of documents... But no legal documents will protect you from violence.'
South Africa has long imported migrant workers, especially for work in mines. After the 1994 elections that ended white minority rule, Nelson Mandela welcomed African migrants. At the same time, poverty and economic hardship in many neighboring countries, including hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, pushed people south.
Chronic unemployment and inequality have led many South Africans to blame African immigrants for their problems, and this discontent periodically erupts into violence. During the 2008 riots, 62 people died, including 21 South Africans, and more than 150,000 were displaced. In 2015, at least five people died.
According to polls by the state Human Sciences Research Council, the share of South Africans willing to accept all immigrants fell from a quarter in 2020 to 15% last year. The unemployment rate rose by 3.4 percentage points to 43.1% since 2020.
'It's hard for people 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.
According to the census, the foreign-born population of South Africa nearly tripled from 1996 to 2022, reaching 2.4 million. That was 3.9% of the 62 million population, compared to 2% in 1996.
March & March leader Jacintha Ngobese-Zuma, who advocates for mass deportation, claims that illegal immigration 'amounts to between 15 and 30 million.' 'South Africa is now taken over. South Africans have become refugees in their own country,' she said last month.
Founded in March 2025, March & March holds protests across South Africa. On March 30, the group held a demonstration in KuGompo City (formerly East London) after locals were angered by debunked reports of a Nigerian being crowned king. Since then, marches have taken place in cities such as Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria.
When 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 financial assistance, and some help in kind.'
Another notable figure in the marches is Ngizwe Mchunu. The radio DJ was acquitted of incitement to unrest in July 2021, in which more than 350 people died.
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 take a more restrained 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 a solution,' said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a televised address on Sunday evening.
He promised to tighten the fight against illegal immigration and corruption in border agencies, emphasizing that only state officials have the right to demand proof of citizenship. 'We must not and will not allow groups to use the legitimate concerns of South Africans to destabilize our country by inciting lawlessness and violence,' Ramaphosa said.
Political analyst at the consulting firm Control Risks, Othlotleng Mokgatle: