In the Sherwood suburb of Durban, five-dozen Malawian migrants who fled their homes after being chased by protesters are now part of a makeshift camp of around 10,000 terrified people, living in tents in a field beside a mosque. Last week, rioters attacked the camp, and police had to disperse them with rubber bullets. Similar scenes have been unfolding across the country since early May: homes torched, businesses looted, vigilantes going door to door demanding papers. Displaced foreigners huddle outside police stations and churches, or hide in the bush and on remote mountainsides.
Now, an unofficial deadline set by anti-migrant groups for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa has prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to issue a stark warning. “People intending to protest against migrants should do so without intimidation, threats or ultimatums,” he said on the eve of the 30 June deadline, which is expected to trigger massive marches. Several thousand African citizens have already left the country in recent weeks, fearing violence. One undocumented Malawian told the BBC he was “happy to be going back” but “heartbroken” to be leaving behind four young children.
“Thousands flee South Africa as anti-migrant groups set 30 June deadline; Ramaphosa warns against intimidation.”
The protests are loosely fronted by groups such as March and March, led by former radio presenter Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, and Operation Dudula, which has previously tried to block undocumented migrants from accessing healthcare and schooling. The Zulu activist Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, who has more than 1.5 million Facebook followers, has led crowds through the streets in traditional Zulu attire. At least two people are reported dead so far, though the Malawian government claims the real number is five. Other African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, have evacuated hundreds of their citizens.
Ramaphosa has repeatedly warned demonstrators to act peacefully and responsibly while acknowledging the need for immigration reforms. “Some foreign nationals who live in South Africa are here lawfully,” he reminded citizens in his weekly newsletter. “They work, study, raise families, invest in our economy and contribute positively to our society. They too are entitled to the protection of our laws and our Constitution.” He added: “The right to protest and freedom of expression does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence.”
More than three million documented foreign nationals live in South Africa, according to official figures. In Durban, white tents housing mostly Malawians are being dismantled as authorities clear transit camps. Women in colourful sarongs sit on their belongings, waiting to board buses home. Nelson Mbewe, a Malawian man, said he had gone to South Africa in search of employment. “But we’ve faced challenges – they’re saying we should go back home because we do not have the right documents. They say we are Makwerekwere,” he told the BBC, using a xenophobic slur. “It’s their country, so what can we do? That’s why we have accepted that we just have to go back home.” Another Malawian, Hassan Phiri, still waiting to be processed, had a message for protesters: “All I want to say to South Africans is that we are all one. No matter what is happening, no matter what will happen, Africa must remain Africa. Africa can’t be Africa without South Africa... without Malawi, without anywhere. So whatever will happen, we must love each other and stick together as Africa.”
What will happen after the deadline passes remains unclear. The current unrest has yet to match earlier waves of anti-immigrant violence that have erupted periodically since 2008, but the vigilantes’ declared deadline raises fears of a new surge.