Xenophobia intensifies in South Africa as anti-immigrant groups protest in major cities and towns

The 30^th of June deadline for ‘all illegal immigrants to leave the country’, declared by March and March leaders, was marked by eerie, empty streets in the morning and shuttered shops. As the day progressed, a heavy police and security presence patrolled flashpoints in major cities and towns around the country. Towards the end of the day, there were reported cases of arrests and violence in Gauteng, which resulted in the deployment of the defence force, looting in the Western and Eastern Cape, and a death in KwaZulu-Natal.

In Cape Town

About 200 protesters gathered in front of the Western Cape provincial legislature demanding answers to a memorandum that they submitted earlier this month. They blamed African migrants for criminality, youth unemployment and poor service delivery when it comes to health and education. Nkululeko Magubane, of Labour and Civic Organisation, blamed foreign nationals for stealing jobs and impregnating South African women. “When you are an unemployed young male, you cannot date because you do not have money. The women of your age end up dating foreign nationals and they give birth to children whose race, ethnicity we don’t understand,” he said. Magubane said that they will be raiding businesses that employ foreign nationals in the next few weeks.

Siyabonga Madlala said that he joined the protest because foreign nationals are responsible for drug dealing and government’s record of poor service delivery. “Children drop out of school because they get fed drugs. The drug dealers use saloons as fronts, but they actually deal in drugs. These children do not cause harm to the Nigerians that sell them drugs but to us,” he said.

Faith-based counter protest

A few metres from where the anti-immigrant group were chanting ‘Abahambe’ was a silent vigil organised by faith-based groups outside the Anglican church stairs. Speaking to Elitsha, Renée August, an Anglican priest, said that she decided to join the vigil because currently the churches need to be in solidarity with humanity. “My faith requires me to be present because what I read in the scriptures about Jesus, who himself had to flee when he was born because his parents were threatened and had to flee to another country,” she said. August said that the current climate of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment is modelled on the MAGA movement of the USA and Donald Trump.

Activist, Mercia Andrews said that the xenophobic attacks are a political plot that is being used to divide the poor by turning on each other instead of the elite and the rich. “It is a political plot that is unfolding. It is in moments of deep crisis that we are manipulated and the poor turn on each other and that the working class is fragmented. They are manipulated by the elites who want to win elections later this year,” she said.

Lindiwe Huna, who was part of the silent vigil, lamented the xenophobic attacks and the scapegoating of foreign nationals. “Afrophobia is wrong and that is why i joined the vigil. It is sad to see how people blame others for problems that were not caused by them instead of those in power. People would rather blame a foreign national who sells fruit by the side of the road,” she said.

In KuGompo City (formerly East London)

A group of about 200 anti-immigrant protesters, monitored by police, marched from St. Georges Street, Southernwood, down to the city hall.

Addressing the protesters, Nkosi Xhanti Sigcawu, the chief of AmaGcaleka, blamed foreign nationals for rape and selling poisonous food. “Our children are dying because of poisonous sweets, chips, alcohol as well as drugs they purchase from foreigners. We have given an ultimatum to a Nigerian who was making himself a king of Buffalo City to leave the country by 1^st August. If our government is tired of ruling the country they must inform us,” he said.

Portia Ndabeni from Mdantsane, who was watching the protest, said that she is totally against the protests and the call for all foreigners to leave. She said the xenophobia may target a few foreign drug dealers but it grows to affect all foreigners. She said the reason they are targeting African foreigners is because they want to turn people against each other. “I am against the protest, the way they are conducting it, the brutality, inhuman behaviour, killing of people and innocent children dying. The whole thing is political; the politicians are using us for their own agendas. No one came here to take our jobs. These people came here qualified and they create their jobs. You don’t see them roaming around carrying CVs. They are selling eggs on the street, samosas and brooms, simple things; we don’t do because we want to be spoon-fed,” she said.

Reitumetse Molefe, a supporter of March and March who stays in Southernwood, blamed foreigners for drug dealing. “We are saying today they must go because we are tired of staying with them. The St. Georges Street in Southernwood is full of them and they do not want to go because they are selling drugs in St Georges. Where I work, there is also a lot of them at my work, but they do not have papers,” she said.

Meanwhile, long queues were the order of the day at the Cape Town Refugee Centre in Epping as Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals are trying to leave the country, fearing for their lives.