South Africa is facing its most intense wave of anti-migrant unrest in years. Marchers took to city streets on Tuesday to mark an unofficial June 30 deadline they set for undocumented migrants to leave. Police say more than 900 people have been arrested. Soldiers were sent to parts of Johannesburg after shootings; at least one person was reported shot dead in Alexandra. At least five people have been killed since the protests began, and thousands of migrants have fled their homes or left the country. Here is what triggered the crisis.
What happened this week
Police reinforcements moved into five of South Africa’s nine provinces overnight. In Johannesburg’s inner-city Hillbrow neighbourhood, soldiers joined police after shootings; at least one person was reported shot dead in Alexandra township and others injured. In Durban, authorities opened an inquiry into the death of a foreign national who allegedly jumped from the eighth floor of a building. He reportedly believed he was being targeted.
Tuesday’s marches marked a “deadline” set by an anti-immigrant movement for undocumented migrants to exit the country. Protesters carried flags and wooden sticks. Some marches turned violent, with looting reported in several areas. Thousands of foreigners have been pushed out of their homes. Their shops and property have been vandalised.
Why are migrants being targeted
Anti-migrant groups claim foreigners take jobs from South Africans, strain public services, and drive crime. Musa Hlongwa, president of the group United South Africa, told journalists on June 24 that South Africans are tired of competing with foreign nationals for hospital beds, school seats, and jobs. He also accused some migrants of selling drugs.
Social scientists say these claims lack solid evidence. Official crime data shows foreigners commit only a small share of offences. South Africa’s immigrant population stands at roughly 3 million people, close to 4–5 percent of the total population. This is a small fraction compared with major global migration hubs.
The economic roots of the anger
South Africa carries one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, with about a third of working-age people jobless. Public hospitals and schools remain overstretched, a problem economists trace mainly to underinvestment and corruption rather than migration. Inequality in the country ranks among the highest globally by some measures.
During apartheid, South Africa used migrant workers from other African countries in its mines, often paying them low wages. Researchers say this history still influences negative attitudes toward foreign workers today.
Political angle in the protest
Local elections are scheduled to be held by November. Some politicians have used anti-immigration messages to attract voters, especially after the ruling African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections.
Loren B. Landau, a professor at the University of Oxford, said immigrants are not responsible for South Africa’s economic and public service problems. However, he noted that people often focus on information that supports their existing beliefs.
The human cost
Thousands of migrants from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and other neighbouring countries have already left South Africa. Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe have organised repatriation flights and buses. The BBC reported on June 17 that about 3,500 foreigners had volunteered to leave.
Marchers have chanted “Mabahambe,” a Zulu phrase meaning “they must go,” the BBC reported. Journalists covering the unrest or fact-checking anti-migrant claims have faced harassment from protest groups.
The crackdown has strained South Africa’s diplomatic ties with neighbouring African nations and drawn international criticism over the treatment of foreign nationals.
