Thousands of undocumented migrants are trying to leave South Africa before nationwide anti-immigrant protests scheduled for June 30, amid growing fears that the demonstrations could turn violent.
In Durban, thousands of Malawian nationals queued at a temporary processing centre hoping to secure transport home, while hundreds of Zimbabweans spent nights sleeping outside their country’s consulate in Cape Town as they waited for buses.
Many migrants said they were leaving because they feared becoming targets of violence.
“We are scared because you never know what people are planning to do to you. It’s not right to wait and see what will happen,” said 37-year-old Ebrahim Moosa, who was waiting with his wife and other families, including mothers carrying babies, to return to Malawi.
South Africa has witnessed a wave of xenophobic protests and, in some cases, deadly attacks in recent weeks, forcing many foreign nationals to flee their homes or leave affected communities.
Anti-immigrant groups have given undocumented migrants until June 30 to leave the country, while several cities are preparing for possible unrest despite repeated government appeals for citizens not to take immigration enforcement into their own hands.
KwaZulu-Natal’s acting police commissioner, Phumelele Makoba, urged protesters to cooperate with law enforcement, saying authorities were preparing for large demonstrations. Police have announced a major security deployment, while President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country’s security forces were ready to maintain order.
The protest movement, March and March, has insisted it is not encouraging violence but said it would not accept responsibility for any incidents that occur during the demonstrations.
Xenophobic violence has repeatedly flared up in South Africa over the years, with some citizens blaming immigrants—most of whom come from neighbouring African countries—for crime, unemployment and pressure on public services.
President Ramaphosa has rejected those claims, warning against using foreigners as scapegoats and arguing that many of South Africa’s economic challenges stem from the long-term legacy of apartheid. Although the country has experienced years of weak economic growth and remains one of the world’s most unequal societies, it continues to attract migrants seeking work because it has Africa’s largest economy.
Among those forced to flee was Mozambican national Antonio Njive, who returned home earlier this month after his house was burned down during violence that killed five fellow Mozambicans.
“I left home without clothes. Everything was burned,” he said.
Mozambique has already repatriated hundreds of its citizens by bus, while Malawi and Zimbabwe have also organised transport home. However, officials say demand has overwhelmed available resources.
Outside Zimbabwe’s consulate in Cape Town, 30-year-old Amina Chiwoko said many people had been sleeping outdoors while waiting for buses.
“We are sleeping outside waiting for buses. Everyone just wants to go home,” she said.
Not everyone has the option of leaving. Many asylum seekers have nowhere safe to return to.
Leanne Sefu, a 25-year-old asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has lived in South Africa since she was three years old, said returning to her homeland was not possible because of the ongoing conflict there.
“The entire world knows that there’s a war in Congo, so me going back, it feels like going back to death,” she said.
After being attacked at the nail salon where she worked and forced from her home in Durban, she is now sleeping outside a Home Affairs office alongside dozens of other displaced migrants while hoping the government will provide emergency shelter.
“There’s no safety here,” she said.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
