Follow Us on Google
The South African government has deployed security agencies heavily across major cities on Tuesday as authorities moved to prevent violence and unrest following an unofficial deadline issued by anti-immigration groups demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country.
The security operation comes after weeks of mounting tension that have already forced tens of thousands of migrants to flee South Africa, while several African governments have begun emergency evacuation exercises for their citizens.
Police officers were stationed across potential flashpoints to prevent attacks, looting and other criminal activities as hundreds of foreign nationals sought refuge in community centres, churches and diplomatic missions while awaiting evacuation.
The recent wave of anti-immigrant violence has claimed the lives of at least four foreign nationals, including two Mozambicans, one Ethiopian and one Malawian, prompting governments across Africa to organise buses and flights to repatriate affected citizens.
Among those preparing to leave was 45-year-old Malawian builder Peter Madsoan, who said remaining in South Africa had become too dangerous.
“I decided to go to avoid being attacked,” Madsoan said while waiting alongside thousands of other migrants in Durban for transport back to Malawi.
“I am a breadwinner back at home in Malawi. It is better for me to go than to die in South Africa.”
The Border Management Authority told AFP that approximately 25,000 people have already been repatriated in recent weeks.
South African officials said about 15,000 Malawians had been processed for departure, while thousands of citizens from Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and several other African countries had also returned home.
Uganda has announced plans to begin evacuating nearly 750 of its nationals in the coming days.
As Tuesday’s deadline took effect, thousands of migrants gathered outside diplomatic missions in Cape Town and Johannesburg hoping to secure transport home.
Many said they had lost their jobs or accommodation after employers and landlords feared sanctions or reprisals linked to the anti-immigration campaign.
Zimbabwean Evelyn Chinooneka, 29, said she and her 10-month-old baby had been sleeping outside Zimbabwe’s consulate in Cape Town for several days while waiting for evacuation.
“It was raining, all the clothes are wet now. We need our buses to come,” Chinooneka said.
She explained that she had worked on a farm near Cape Town for four years before being asked to leave.
Meanwhile, groups of men dressed in traditional Zulu attire marched through Soweto carrying shields and sticks while chanting “Abahambe” a Zulu phrase meaning “Let them go.”
The demonstrations were organised by the anti-illegal immigration group March and March, whose leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, described June 30 as the beginning of “a national march to freedom” and “a rolling mass action” that would continue until undocumented migrants were deported.
Speaking last week, Ngobese-Zuma insisted the movement was not promoting violence.
“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.
Despite those assurances, authorities remain on high alert, mindful of the July 2021 unrest that claimed around 350 lives during widespread riots and looting following the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced tougher measures to tackle illegal immigration while urging traditional rulers and community leaders to help ease tensions.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli also warned against any form of lawlessness.
“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,” Ntuli said.
South Africa, one of Africa’s largest economies, has long attracted migrant workers from across the continent despite grappling with unemployment above 30 per cent, rising crime and pressure on public services.
Previous outbreaks of xenophobic violence, including the 2008 attacks that killed 62 people, have exposed deep social tensions. However, analysts note that this is the first time multiple African governments have simultaneously organised the mass repatriation of thousands of their citizens.
While campaigners against illegal immigration accuse undocumented migrants of taking jobs, increasing crime and straining public resources, labour analyst Dale McKinley argued that migrants are being unfairly blamed for broader governance failures.
“The xenophobic groups have got it wrong,” McKinley said.
“This is a problem of governance, corruption, and mismanagement.”
He added that with South Africa preparing for local government elections in November, the immigration debate has increasingly been “politically weaponised.”
