Anti-immigrant groups ‘last-minute notices’
Protesters loot immigrant-owned stores
Read down migrants in South Africa’s economic difficulties
![Members of the Zulu tribe march in Cape Town, South Africa, on the 30th (local time) during a protest against illegal immigration. [EPA = Yonhap News]](https://wimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202607/02/news-p.v1.20260702.129feace9b6d4446965db14fca6c17aa_P1.jpg)
Protests were held in various parts of South Africa on the 30th of last month (local time), when South African anti-immigrant groups set the deadline for an “ultimatum for illegal immigration departure.” In the process, more than 900 people were arrested, but there was also a commotion, including the death of a foreign worker in a shooting.
According to Reuters on the 1st, thousands of protesters marched through the streets the day before in various parts of South Africa, including Johannesburg and the eastern port city of Durban, claiming the deportation of illegal immigrants. South Africa’s deputy police chief, Tebelo Mosikili, said at a press conference that protests were held in 120 locations across the country the day before, and explained that police intervened in 12 of them due to unrest.
Police said on the 30th of last month that they arrested more than 900 people nationwide during the process of responding to protests and cracking down on immigrants. The arrests included those accused of violence, robbery, and incitement of violence, as well as illegal immigrants who violated immigration laws and those who were accused of hiding them, Moshikili explained. Some of them entered foreign residences without permission and demanded that they leave the country, saying they had the authority to crack down on illegal immigrants, Deputy Chief Mosikili said.
Later, police said in a separate statement that one person was shot and killed in the Alexandra area of Johannesburg late at night on the 1st. Residents of the area looted a small foreign-owned store called “Spaza Shop,” which is believed to have led to the shooting.
Police forces were deployed to five of the country’s nine provinces overnight as protests intensified. Military personnel were sent to the Hillbrow area of downtown Johannesburg, where two people were injured in another shooting. An investigation was also conducted into the death of a foreigner who died after jumping from the eighth floor of the building on the night before the protest in Durban on the 29th of last month, believing he was targeted, police said.
Justice Minister Mammamoloko Kubai warned at the protest that anyone who participated in violence or criminal activity would be tracked down to the end, arrested and prosecuted.
![Protesters are chasing foreigners believed to be illegal immigrants during a protest against illegal immigration in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the 30th (local time). [AFP = Yonhap News]](https://wimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202607/02/news-p.v1.20260702.4fa844b8cc1742e7989851cf54ed793a_P1.jpg)
The protest was held after anti-illegal immigration groups such as “March and March” set their own deadline for all illegal immigrants to leave South Africa by the 30th of last month. The protest organizers claimed that illegal immigrants are accepting low wages, depriving South Africans of jobs and causing various social problems such as drugs and crimes.
“We want large-scale deportations and we want the government to get out all those who are still there in the next six months,” Jacinta Ngovesse-Zuma, the head of “Machi and Machi,” said at a Durban rally, adding that she would continue weekly protests until November’s local elections.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa previously promised to strengthen the crackdown on illegal immigrants, but said immigration law enforcement is the state’s own authority and clearly opposed the protesters’ actions to cross the line.
Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda are evacuating their citizens in South Africa for safety concerns. More than 25,000 foreigners have left South Africa or are waiting to leave the country.
The UK Financial Times (FT) pointed out that the fact that several African migrants were deeply embedded in South Africa’s economy triggered the incident. They are working low-paying jobs, running hair salons and convenience stores, working in restaurants and cleaning homes. As South Africa’s economic growth slowed, they became the target of criticism from indigenous people.
Foreigners have frequently been scapegoats in South Africa, where economic growth has stagnated for 10 years and unemployment remains around 30%, the FT said. “Deep-rooted xenophobic sentiment is emerging beyond economic status and race.”
