South African protesters conduct door-to-door searches for undocumented migrants
Anti-immigration demonstrators in South Africa on Thursday removed foreign nationals from their homes in parts of Johannesburg and handed them over to police, marking an escalation in protests that have heightened fear in affected communities and strained relations with neighbouring countries.
In Alexandra township, Reuters reporters witnessed protesters forcing their way into houses where they suspected undocumented migrants were living.
Those detained were escorted to police vehicles, including a woman and a young child from Malawi. One of the men taken by the protesters, Zimbabwean national Total Mhlanga, told Reuters that he was legally residing in South Africa under a Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), which allows eligible Zimbabweans to live and work in the country.
In Soweto, demonstrators marched through the township carrying sticks and flags before setting out to search for undocumented migrants. Promotional leaflets for the protest described it as a “peaceful march” followed by door-to-door operations. Similar demonstrations were also held in the coastal city of Durban.
South Africa has witnessed growing anti-immigration sentiment in recent months amid persistently high unemployment. The protests intensified after an informal June 30 deadline issued by campaigners for undocumented migrants to leave the country.
Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, a former radio presenter and leader of the anti-immigration movement March and March, announced that demonstrations would continue every Thursday until the group’s demands are met.
The organisation argues that undocumented migrants are contributing to South Africa’s economic challenges and is calling for tighter border security, mass deportations, and priority access to schools and healthcare for South African citizens.
Speaking during the Alexandra march, community leader Bongani Msomi said protesters were conducting door-to-door operations to remove foreign nationals from the area.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned against blaming immigrants for the country’s longstanding socio-economic problems and has repeatedly stressed that immigration enforcement remains the responsibility of the state, not private citizens.
In response to the protests, police have increased operations targeting undocumented migrants and deployed additional officers to monitor demonstrations and maintain public order. Authorities have not yet commented on the actions taken by protesters during Thursday’s marches.
Meanwhile, Malawi’s government announced that more than 38,000 of its citizens have returned home from South Africa in recent weeks as part of a large-scale voluntary repatriation effort prompted by security concerns. More than 60,000 Zimbabweans have also returned to their home country over the same period.
Source: Reuters
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