Dozens of anti-illegal immigration protesters marched through a township outside Johannesburg on Monday, a day after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed to act against groups accused of fuelling xenophobic violence.
South Africa has experienced recurring outbreaks of anti-migrant violence, with tensions escalating this year as vigilante groups demanded that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country by June 30.
Demonstrators marched peacefully through Kwa-Thema, a township about 40 km southeast of Johannesburg, chanting and singing as they called for tougher government measures against illegal immigration. Some protesters were seen carring sticks in footage broadcast by the state-owned SABC.
In a national address on Sunday, President Ramaphosa acknowledged public concerns about illegal immigration but warned against vigilantism and unlawful actions.
“We will and must not allow groups to use the legitimate concerns of South Africans to destabilise our country through inciting lawlessness and violence. We will act against forces who are exploiting the concerns of our people about illegal immigration to further their own political, personal or criminal agendas,” Ramaphosa said.
Organisers of the protests welcomed Ramaphosa’s comments for bringing the issue to national attention but said they would continue their campaign. South Africa, one of Africa’s largest economies, hosts more than three million foreign nationals, about 5% of its population.
However, unemployment remains above 30%, contributing to tensions between local residents and migrant workers.
The country has witnessed several waves of anti-immigrant violence over the past two decades. In the deadliest outbreak, 62 people were killed in 2008. Violence also occurred in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
At least two Mozambican nationals have been killed in the latest unrest. Last month, hundreds of foreign nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Somalia, sought refuge in the eastern port city of Durban after they said that residents had gone door-to-door ordering them to leave by the end of June.
The violence has made several African countries to organise the evacuation of their citizens.
Ghana has arranged repatriation flights for hundreds of nationals, while Malawi and Mozambique organised buses to transport citizens home.
South Africa’s border authority said on Monday that more than 600 Ghanaians were processed for departure over the weekend, bringing the total number of people who have left the country to 995.