As anti-foreigner tensions resurface in parts of South Africa, critics are questioning whether the government’s response to xenophobia is working.
South Africa has faced repeated violence targeting migrants from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana and Zambia.
Earlier this month, Nigeria summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner, citing rising anti-African migration protests.
More than 60 people died in anti-immigrant riots in 2008, while similar unrest re-emerged in 2015 and 2016. Armed mobs attacked foreign-owned businesses around downtown Johannesburg in 2019, killing at least 12 people – ten of them South African citizens.
Migration blamed for deep crises
Violence is often linked to frustration over unemployment, crime, overcrowded services and poor living conditions – grievances that are often directed towards migrants.
However, Lauren Landau, a senior migration researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) African Center for Migration and Society in Johannesburg, argued that the roots go much deeper.
“Scapegoating and demonizing immigrants distracts people from the real source of South Africa’s problems and destroys democracy, while putting the well-being of many people – both our own citizens and foreigners – at risk,” Landau said in a statement. Article Published by Wits.
Landau said, “Migrants are not the source of any of South Africa’s challenges. Migrants are too small to have a substantial impact on employment or crime.”
Government defends xenophobic response
South Africa’s government says it condemns violence against foreign nationals and is working to strengthen social cohesion and migration management.
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola recently warned citizens against taking immigration enforcement into their own hands.
“It is not the responsibility of citizens to enforce the law,” Lamola told DW. “Where people are told, ‘You are not South African, you should go home’, that is xenophobia.”
Lamola rejected claims that targeting migrants would solve South Africa’s economic problems.
“Economic challenges and unemployment issues will not be solved by chasing someone,” Lamola said. “It’s not just a security issue, it’s an economic and social issue.”
Minister of the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavweni, also defended government efforts while condemning the vigilantes.
“We cannot allow someone who does not enforce the law to ask for people’s passports,” he told DW.
Activist groups deepen migration tensions
Groups such as Operation Dudula, which campaigns against undocumented migration, have become increasingly influential in public debate.
Proponents argue that undocumented migration puts pressure on jobs, health care, and housing. However, critics say such movements risk promoting xenophobia and vigilantism.
Operation Dudula member Patrick Mokgalusi defended the movement.
“The people are in charge now because the government has failed us. There’s no way to turn back now,” he told DW, calling for mass deportations of illegal aliens.
Vusumuzi Sibanda, president of the refugee advocacy group African Diaspora Global Network, warned that some official responses risked worsening tensions.
“In some cases the response appears to be making the situation worse,” Sibanda told DW. He pointed to allegations that vulnerable people seeking protection during the unrest were dispersed with rubber bullets.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has also opposed blaming undocumented immigrants for South Africa’s problems.
A quote from Mbeki, which was widely shared on X, argued that “Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa caused high levels of crime and unemployment, not illegal immigrants.” The Post states that documented migration was present during his presidency, while the economy was growing and crime was low.
Fear is increasing in migrant communities
Fear has become a part of everyday life for many migrants.
Princess Adjei, a 33-year-old Ghanaian citizen who has lived in South Africa since she was 13, said tensions are rising.
“It’s getting busier. Now it feels like there’s a war. We foreigners are not safe anywhere,” he told DW. “People are frustrated and tensions are rising. Foreigners are also beginning to respond with force. People may die.”
Moses Chanda, a Zambian entrepreneur in Johannesburg, said xenophobic violence is often triggered by rumor and misinformation.
“You hear people saying that foreigners are taking jobs or running illegal businesses,” he said. “Then suddenly shops are looted or people are attacked.”
Nevertheless, some South Africans refuse to portray the country solely through the lens of xenophobia.
“Yes, there is tension, but many communities work together every day,” Johannesburg resident Nomsa Dlamini told DW. “The real issue is poverty and desperation, not ordinary South African xenophobia.”
For many observers, South Africa faces increasing pressure to balance migration concerns with constitutional security and regional cohesion.
“We are Africans too,” Adjei said. “We are here to work and make a life, not to take anything away from anyone.”
Thuso Khumalo in Johannesburg contributed reporting