Anti-migrant raids spread in South African townships
Reuters reported protesters searched homes near Johannesburg as MSF warned that xenophobic violence is blocking medical care.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Anti-migrant protesters in South Africa are searching homes and handing suspected undocumented migrants to police, according to Reuters, raising pressure on authorities as aid workers warn that violence is cutting people off from healthcare. Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said Thursday that it had begun an emergency response after intimidation and displacement affected tens of thousands of people.
Reuters journalists in Johannesburg saw anti-migrant activists go door to door Thursday looking for people they said were in the country without permission. The protests followed an informal June 30 deadline set by demonstrators for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, Al Jazeera reported.
The campaigners have said they will stage protests every Thursday until their demands are met, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. Demonstrators blame foreigners for joblessness and crime, while Al Jazeera reported that South Africa has one of the world’s highest unemployment rates.
Homes searched in Johannesburg area
In Alexandra township, a Reuters reporter saw protesters force open doors and enter homes where they believed undocumented migrants were hiding. Reuters reported that protesters escorted people to police vans, including a woman and a young child from Malawi.
One man detained by marchers told Reuters he was legally in South Africa. In Soweto, south of Johannesburg, Reuters reported that protesters carrying sticks and flags marched through the township and planned to search for undocumented migrants.
A separate demonstration took place in Durban, about 600km from Johannesburg, according to Al Jazeera. The unrest has drawn concern from regional governments and humanitarian groups as more foreign nationals leave South Africa.
Al Jazeera reported that tens of thousands of foreigners have returned to their countries in recent weeks. Malawi says more than 38,000 of its citizens have gone back, more than 60,000 Zimbabweans have also returned, and hundreds of Nigerians have been repatriated, according to the report.
MSF says documented migrants are also being hit
MSF said protesters claim to be targeting undocumented migrants, but some patients told the medical charity that refugees, asylum seekers and documented migrants had also been attacked or intimidated. The group said people had been displaced and some were unable to obtain medical care because of the violence.
Claire Waterhouse, an MSF emergency coordinator, said the group was seeing people flee harassment and attacks. “Our priority is to address disrupted access to healthcare for those most at risk, regardless of who they are or where they come from,” Waterhouse said in a statement cited by MSF.
MSF cited the case of a 49-year-old Malawian man in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, who said protesters came to his home during a door-to-door campaign and stole his money, laptop and other valuables. The man told MSF he was later refused help at a clinic after being injured.
Human rights groups and African countries have criticized South Africa’s government for failing to stop a rise in xenophobic violence, which Al Jazeera reported has killed several people. President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged concerns over illegal immigration but has warned protesters not to take the law into their own hands, according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.