Protests targeting foreigners spread through several South African cities on Tuesday, leading to closed businesses, empty workplaces and heightened security presence. Demonstrators draped in South African flags and carrying wooden sticks marched in places including Johannesburg and the port city of Durban, while police watched from armoured vehicles and helicopters hovered overhead.
Organisers had set a deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, a demand that prompted thousands of foreign nationals from other African countries to leave the country ahead of Tuesday. In many urban centres, shops remained shut and foreign workers stayed away from their places of employment.
At a rally in central Durban, a group of women chanted anti-migrant slogans. "People are not working, the jobs are being taken by illegal foreigners. Its not fair," said Silindile Xaba, 31, expressing a grievance echoed by many participants.
Outbreaks of violence and law enforcement response
Although much of the days activity was conducted without incident, there were reports of violence in several locations by midday local time (1000 GMT). Police said they had arrested some looters but provided no further details. In Thembisa, a northern Johannesburg suburb, rioters threw stones at police and at people suspected of being migrants, and sporadic gunfire was heard near Johannesburgs central business district.
National media reported that police deployed tactical vehicles and fired shots in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, after coming under threat from a crowd of about 500 protesters. In Soweto, national broadcaster SABC reported that some shacks occupied by foreign nationals were looted.
Since the unrest began in April, at least five people have been killed and thousands have been forced from their homes or have had their businesses and property vandalised, according to reporting from the demonstrations. In many attacks, there has been little distinction made between migrants who entered South Africa legally and those who did not.
Claims and organisers response
The campaign group March and March, led by a former radio presenter and associated with the latest wave of protests, denies endorsing violence. The group says it aims to direct public anger towards government policy rather than to incite attacks on individuals. "We are trying to channel that anger towards the government," Jacinta Ngobese told Reuters in an interview two weeks ago. "Unfortunately, we cant be in every single community telling them ... how to behave. They live with these people."
Displacement and illegal evictions
Witnesses in Durban and Johannesburg described landlords illegally evicting foreign tenants out of fear their buildings might be targeted. Mabako Majole, a leader of the Congolese community, stood beside roughly 100 people sleeping rough in downtown Durban and said, "All these people, they were chased out by their landlords. All these people are legal. They have documents."
The marches are expected to draw many thousands of mostly poor or unemployed South Africans who blame foreign nationals for economic difficulties and scarce job opportunities.
Security resources and official statements
Authorities deployed thousands of police officers and placed the military on standby, funded by an emergency allocation of 600 million rand, a military spokesperson said. The growing wave of anti-immigrant sentiment and criticism of policing efforts to protect victims have been cited as damaging to South Africas post-apartheid reputation for human rights and as straining relations with other African countries.
Immigrants are widely blamed in public discourse for taking jobs, increasing crime and putting pressure on public services, assertions that social scientists say are not supported by clear evidence. At the Durban march, Meluneki Dlamini, 31 and unemployed, said, "There are streets in town where the shops are all run by foreigners. In my hometown (Ulundi), Ethiopians own a lot of shops. That hurts the people that were there before."
South Africa remains a destination for migrants despite persistent economic challenges. Official statistics place the immigrant population at about 3 million people, roughly 4% of the total population, according to StatsSA.
Legal action and political rhetoric
Deputy National Commissioner for Policing Tebello Mosikili said 103 criminal cases had been opened against anti-foreigner vigilantes since March, and emphasised the state's duty to ensure demonstrations remain peaceful. Some political figures have echoed protesters concerns while condemning the violent acts.
President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged citizens concerns about illegal immigration in a statement, saying, "South Africans ... deep concerns about illegal immigration ... are real and they deserve to be heard." He added that the right to protest does not permit threats, intimidation, vandalism or violence.
South African officials have pointed to similar tensions in Western countries as examples of how divisive politics and misinformation can inflame debates over migration.
Context and concluding observations
Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa continues to grapple with deep inequality, slow economic growth and high unemployment, with about one-third of the population out of work. It remains the continents largest economy and continues to attract migrants, even as public anger over competition for jobs and services fuels recurring episodes of anti-migrant action.
The protests on Tuesday illustrate how migration, economic frustration and political rhetoric intersect to produce unrest that can disrupt commerce, displace residents and stretch security resources.