South African migrants targeted in rising xenophobic attacks

Mohammed Hussein told Anadolu that vigilantes entered his Soweto grocery store demanding he pack his goods and leave South Africa immediately, threatening to loot the shop if he refused, highlighting the intimidation facing migrants in Johannesburg's townships. The 33-year-old Ethiopian father said the group, believed to be associated with Operation Dudula and March and March, rejected his legal documentation and told him he was not welcome in the country. Human Rights Watch warned last week that such vigilante actions have escalated into a new wave of xenophobic violence targeting African and Asian migrants across major cities.

Vigilante groups exploit economic grievances

In April and May, protests organized by March and March in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban were linked to violent incidents that forced hundreds of legally registered foreign nationals to flee their homes and seek refuge at police stations, according to the rights group. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently expressed deep concern over reports of xenophobic harassment and attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa, the organization said. Nomathamsanga Masiko-Mpaka, a researcher at Human Rights Watch South Africa desk, said the constitution protects the right to protest but does not permit vigilante groups to block migrants from accessing healthcare and education services.

Anti-immigrant rhetoric intensifies ahead of polls

Operation Dudula, founded in Soweto following the July 2021 riots, draws its name from the isiZulu word meaning "force out" and has gained momentum ahead of South Africa's local government elections scheduled for November, political analyst Andre Duvenhage of North-West University told Anadolu. The movement has framed undocumented migration as a national crisis, describing South Africa as "being invaded" while accusing migrants of contributing to crime and unemployment in a country where the official jobless rate stands at 32 percent. Political parties including ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance have drawn support from the anti-immigrant mobilization, with former Operation Dudula head Zandile Dabula recently joining ActionSA's campaign.

Government response and historical context

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said this month that criminal acts targeting foreign nationals do not reflect government policy, stating there is "no place in South Africa for xenophobia, ethnic mobilization, intolerance or violence." Dale McKinley, spokesperson for Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, said migrants were being scapegoated for structural failures that long predate recent migration waves, noting that such rhetoric risks deepening tensions in a country with a history of anti-migrant violence. South Africa experienced its deadliest xenophobic attacks in 2008, when violence that began in Alexandra Township spread across the country and killed 62 people, followed by further outbreaks in 2015 and 2019 that left at least 19 dead and hundreds of businesses looted.