Police deployed in South Africa as anti-migrant protests spread
Authorities increased security after anti-immigrant groups set a false deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
South Africa has put more police on the streets as anti-immigrant demonstrations spread across several cities, Reuters reported. The protests have forced some businesses to close and raised fears for foreign nationals after activist groups set an unofficial Tuesday deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country.
The groups have claimed, falsely, that undocumented foreign nationals would be arrested and deported if they stayed beyond the deadline, according to Reuters. South Africa’s government has rejected those claims, but thousands of people have fled or sought protection as tensions have grown.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday that South Africans have the right to demonstrate, but not to threaten others, intimidate them or carry out vandalism or violence. He described people taking the law into their own hands as vigilantism.
Protests grow from small gatherings
Reuters reported that the anti-immigrant protests began in April as small gatherings and have expanded in recent weeks. In Durban, demonstrators from the “March and March” movement gathered Monday to mark the unofficial deadline, according to a photo caption distributed by AFP.
Al Jazeera correspondent Haru Mutasa, reporting from Johannesburg, said protesters there included working-class and middle-class South Africans from different communities around the country. She said they were united by demands for the government to act over undocumented foreigners.
Mutasa said demonstrators expressed frustration that government promises had not led to visible changes. She said some protesters connected their anger to unemployment, asking why South Africans with degrees could not find work.
Foreign nationals seek shelter
AFP reported that at least two Mozambicans, an Ethiopian and a Malawian have been killed in anti-immigrant violence during weeks of xenophobic attacks. Although protest groups say they are focusing on undocumented migrants, Reuters reported that foreign nationals with legal status in South Africa also face danger.
Thousands of foreign nationals have been staying outside consulates and in shelters to seek protection, according to Reuters. Others have said they were evicted from homes or dismissed from jobs after landlords and employers cited fears of fines or attacks.
Many foreign nationals have already left South Africa, Reuters reported. Some departed on their own, while others requested help from their embassies. Several African countries have sent planes and buses to bring their citizens home.
The unrest comes ahead of South Africa’s November elections. Reuters reported that some political parties have called for peaceful protests, while other politicians have increasingly used anti-immigrant rhetoric.
South Africa has faced repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence. Reuters reported that riots in 2008 killed 62 people, followed by further attacks in 2015 and 2016. In 2019, at least 12 people were killed after armed mobs targeted foreign-owned businesses around Johannesburg.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.