Police track threats against foreign nationals in SA
Publish date: 01 June 2026
Issue Number: 1179
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Criminal
Threats of possible mobilisation against foreign nationals, many African, in SA on 30 June are circulating widely on social media, fuelling concern about potential unrest in parts of the country. Over the past weeks, foreign nationals have reportedly fled their homes, particularly in Durban where protests and attacks are said to have become more violent, forcing some families to abandon businesses, trading spaces, their homes and their daily routines in search of safety. However, according to the The Independent on Saturday, analysts and civil society voices say the anger is less about foreigners themselves and more about deeper problems: unemployment, poor services, corruption and an economy that leaves many people struggling on the margins. Authorities say they are monitoring the situation, although there is no confirmed threat. Acting Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane said police were tracking anti-foreigner sentiments and any related mobilisation. 'Operational plans are in place to ensure that law and order is maintained at all times. Police will continue to act decisively against any acts of violence, intimidation, incitement, destruction of property or unlawful conduct directed at any individual or group.’ Dimpane said 1 891 undocumented foreign nationals were arrested nationwide last week under Operation Shanela. From 1 January to 17 May, more than 29 000 were arrested, with over 76 000 arrested in the past year. In Durban, the centre of recent protests and attacks, the eThekwini Municipality said rumours of a 30 June uprising were ‘receiving attention’ from law enforcement. Metro Police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said they were preparing officers to be deployed on the day to ensure the safety of ‘all residents and visitors’. The SANDF has dismissed social media claims that it would be deployed ahead of planned marches, calling the reports ‘false, unfounded and deliberately misleading.’
March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has appealed for peace and restraint following the sporadic looting of shops owned by foreign nationals in Estcourt on Friday, reports the Sunday Tribune. Ngobese-Zuma urged residents not to resort to criminality despite growing frustrations over illegal immigration. ‘I know that you are angry, but do not give our detractors an advantage by looting. Because we do not want them (undocumented immigrants), let us remove them without fighting, looting, arson or violence,’ she said. Her call for calm was echoed by March and March supporter Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, who said the movement’s 30 June deadline for undocumented nationals to return home was ‘not an event’ and should not be interpreted as a call for violence, looting or xenophobic unrest. Ndabandaba, who leads the Insizwa Ngobunsizwa Development Foundation, said the date was intended to place pressure on government to address concerns around illegal immigration rather than encourage forced removals.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has labelled the ongoing anti-illegal immigration marches as ‘Afrophobia’, saying poor African migrants are not responsible for SA’s unemployment crisis and service delivery problems. ‘Poor Africans from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia or elsewhere on the continent are not responsible for unemployment, inequality or collapsing public services,’ Malema is quoted as saying in the Saturday Star. He said the economy remained structured around exclusion, citing unemployment levels as evidence. ‘Official unemployment exceeds 32%, while expanded unemployment exceeds 43%, meaning millions of people exist outside meaningful economic participation altogether,’ he said. 'Youth unemployment remains a serious crisis at more than 60%, condemning an entire generation to social marginalisation despite their aspirations, education and capabilities.’ He criticised what he described as superficial analysis that blamed migrants for SA’s problems.
Meanwhile,300 Ghanaian nationals evacuated from SA due to anti-immigration protests arrived in Accra to a warm welcome, reports Al Jazeera. The group, which included women and children, arrived at the airport in Ghana’s capital on Wednesday. Authorities described their evacuation as a voluntary repatriation process for Ghanaian citizens who no longer feel safe in SA amid rising xenophobia that has left migrants facing harassment, job losses and violence. SA has worked with Ghanaian authorities on a list of approximately 800 people who had indicated they want to leave, as a wave of anti-immigration protests has seen campaigners demanding tighter controls on ‘undocumented migrants’ and accusing foreigners of contributing to crime and unemployment. Authorities welcomed returnees with reintegration support and transport assistance. ‘Wherever Ghanaians are, we will make sure you are protected,’ Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said as he greeted the group at the airport. SA’s Border Management Authority said about 90% of Wednesday’s travellers were undocumented, with ‘most’ having overstayed a visa by more than 30 days and ‘some’ by a year or more. Ghana’s High Commissioner to SA, Benjamin Quashie, however, has criticised SA authorities for backlogs in immigration processing for those seeking to renew their permits. The anti-immigrant protests have been accompanied by instances of violence against migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries. SA authorities have condemned violence against foreign nationals and pledged to crack down on xenophobic attacks.
Mozambican authorities have begun, as of today, the repatriation of more than 500 Mozambican nationals residing in the Western Cape region of SA, following a wave of threats targeting foreign nationals in the country, reports the Club of Mozambique. According to Rádio Moçambique, those affected are originally from the provinces of Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo, and have been impacted by ongoing threats against migrants in SA. Around 300 nationals have already begun returning to Mozambique via Ponta do Ouro and Ressano Garcia, using their own means.
