Johannesburg, South Africa – Human Rights Watch has warned of a new wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa as anti-immigration groups step up protests and vigilante-style actions targeting foreign nationals, including from Zimbabweans.
The warning came in a report released on Tuesday amid growing protests in South African cities including Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban.
Groups such as March and March and Operation Dudula, two South African anti-immigration movements that advocate stricter enforcement against undocumented migration, have led protests in several cities.
“We continue to receive reports through our community networks of bullying, threats, harassment, unlawful termination, workplace discrimination, police extortion, and denial of access to healthcare and other basic services affecting migrants and refugees,” said Mike Ndlovu, media coordinator for Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX).
“The most common forms of harm include verbal abuse, eviction, discrimination in clinics and workplaces, confiscation of goods and in some cases physical attacks,” Ndlovu told Al Jazeera.
Messages and videos circulating on social media showed anti-immigration activists calling on foreign nationals to leave South Africa by June 30.
However, many incidents are believed to go unreported due to fear of reprisal, arrest, or deportation.
What is the reason for the reaction?
In some townships and urban areas affected by poverty, inequality and unemployment, anti-immigration movements appear to be gaining support.
Political parties such as the Patriotic Alliance, ActionSA and UMkhonto we Sizwe are increasingly presenting migrants as competitors for jobs and public services.
Mpho Makhubela, a member of the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) and an activist with KAAX, said vigilante groups are growing in response to widespread social frustration.
The Constitution of South Africa and international human rights law protect the right to protest, but do not permit violence.
“The vigilante groups feed off the country’s frustration over unemployment, socioeconomic decline and the lack of efforts to address the inequality gap,” he told Al Jazeera.
“The country faces the mammoth task of addressing the legacy of apartheid.”
human toll
Violence and harassment have had a direct impact on the daily lives of migrants.
Mpofu, a former Zimbabwean courier for food and package delivery company Mister Delivery, remembers being confronted by a vigilante group in the Pretoria CBD while working with colleagues from Congo and Malawi in January.
“My workmates jumped out of the company van and ran away, leaving me alone,” he said. “They started harassing me and asking why my comrades were running away.”
Mpofu said this situation has increased fear in his workplace, which he believes has contributed to the layoffs of undocumented migrant workers.
Since losing his job, he now survives through informal cooking and delivery work but earns much less than before.
Another migrant, Zwelibanzi Welampini Khumalo, described growing hostility in communities around Durban and Pietermaritzburg. He said foreign nationals were driven out due to tensions in Mpumuza earlier this year, adding that some furniture, goods and business stock were lost during the unrest.
“Informal traders and shop owners were the most affected. Some were reportedly looted, while others were forced to leave their homes,” he said.
Khumalo also said he lost his job as an accounting lecturer after members of vigilante groups allegedly sought to remove undocumented workers from his workplace. His wife, who still has a valid permit, is now the sole income earner of the family.
“We have tried to regularize our documentation, but it is difficult to get into the system because there is so much red tape,” he said.
Official response and response
South Africa says it remains committed to the rule of law and the safety of foreign nationals despite rising tensions.
“It is important to understand the character of migration in South Africa,” said government spokesperson Nomonde Mnukwa. He pointed out that the post-1994 policy allowed social integration rather than strict migration controls.
He acknowledged public frustration over unemployment, pressure on resources, undocumented migration and crime, but said hostile actions against immigrants would not be tolerated.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also said that targeting migrants under the guise of activism is illegal.
Mnukwa said migration laws were being reviewed, border systems were being modernized and accountability was being strengthened. He stressed that the Constitution guarantees dignity and human rights for all residents, regardless of nationality.
However, critics take a harsher stance.
Pat Mokgalusi, spokesperson for the Dudula Operations Movement, said: “Illegal aliens should just pack up and go,” arguing that undocumented migration weakens the system and increases pressure on jobs and services.
He also linked undocumented migration to crime and poor planning, while saying that legal immigrants are welcome if they follow the laws.
March and March founder Jacinta Ngobse Juma said undocumented migration puts a strain on resources and contributes to overcrowding in cities, schools, hospitals and job markets.
He argued that migration should be more strictly controlled through stronger detection and enforcement systems.
global concern
Ziyambi Ziyambi, Zimbabwe's minister of justice, legal and parliamentary affairs, said his country was monitoring rising anti-migrant tensions in South Africa, but stressed that Harare would not interfere in Pretoria's internal affairs.
“You can't go to their homes and teach them what to do. Zimbabwe is cooperating through diplomatic channels and embassies to assist citizens facing difficulties,” he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) have both expressed concern and called on South African authorities to investigate abuses, ensure accountability, and protect migrants' access to justice and services.
Human Rights Watch said scapegoating migrants is fueling violence, stressing that blaming migrants for crime, unemployment, and poor services risks deepening xenophobia and undermining human rights protections.
“South Africa's Constitution and international human rights law protect the right to protest, but this does not include permission to use violence,” said HRW South Africa researcher Nomathamsanka Masiko-Mpaka.