South African police were deployed in force on Tuesday to prevent unrest as anti-immigrant groups marked an unofficial deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country, prompting thousands to seek refuge or assistance to return home.
Security officers were stationed across major cities to deter violence and looting, while many foreign nationals gathered in urban centres such as Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, urgently seeking help to repatriate.
Most shops in central Johannesburg remained closed and commuter traffic was lighter than usual, as police maintained a visible presence across key areas of the city.
The mobilisation has been driven by a loose coalition of minor political parties and citizen-led vigilante groups, which analysts say are increasingly organised and active online, where some narratives have included disinformation that has been debunked by AFP.
In Durban, small groups of protesters dressed in Zulu traditional attire gathered in a public park, carrying sticks and shields as they sang and chanted “abahambe” — meaning “let them go” — while security forces monitored the situation.
One protester, 64-year-old Selwyn Anderson, told AFP that undocumented migrants had allegedly taken over small businesses, adding: “I travelled a bit in Africa. All these countries are messed up, and South Africa is the America of Africa.”
At least two Mozambicans, one Ethiopian and one Malawian have been killed in recent weeks in anti-immigrant violence, while several African governments have organised evacuation efforts for their citizens.
South Africa, one of the continent’s largest economies, remains a key destination for migrant labour but continues to struggle with unemployment above 30 per cent, high crime levels and strained public services in many areas.
Labour analyst Dale McKinley said the anti-immigrant campaign had been “politically weaponised”, particularly ahead of local government elections in November.
“The xenophobic groups have got it wrong. This is a problem of governance, corruption and mismanagement,” he told AFP.
Uganda has announced an “evacuation plan” for nearly 750 citizens, expected to begin in the coming days.
As the unofficial deadline passed, thousands of migrants — mostly from Malawi and Zimbabwe — gathered in Johannesburg and Cape Town, waiting for assistance to return home.
Some said they had been evicted by landlords or dismissed by employers amid fears of fines or attacks linked to the tensions.
“I decided to go to avoid being attacked,” said Malawian builder Peter Madsoan, 45, who was among thousands gathered in Durban awaiting transport home. “It is better for me to go than to die in South Africa. I am a breadwinner back in Malawi.”
In Cape Town, Zimbabwean national Evelyn Chinooneka, 29, said she had spent several days outside the Zimbabwean consulate with her 10-month-old baby.
“It was raining. All the clothes are wet now. We need our buses to come,” she said, adding that she had worked on a farm outside the city for four years before being told to leave.
The anti-immigrant March and March group, led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, said last week that June 30 would mark the beginning of “a national march to freedom, a rolling mass action” aimed at the removal of undocumented migrants.
“We are not calling for violence… No one will be killed on the 30th of June and no looting will take place in our name,” she said.
The government has deployed additional security forces and warned against opportunistic crime, citing concerns about a repeat of the deadly July 2021 unrest, in which around 350 people were killed during riots and looting triggered by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also announced strengthened measures against illegal immigration and urged traditional leaders to use their influence to ease tensions.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli said authorities would not allow renewed violence.
“Whatever our concerns about undocumented migration, however legitimate the frustrations beneath them, we will not allow this province to be set alight a second time, whether by criminality or by xenophobia,” he said.
South Africa has experienced repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence in the past, including riots in 2008 that left 62 people dead.
However, this is the first time several African governments have simultaneously organised large-scale repatriation efforts for their nationals.
