Thousands of Protestors In South Africa Demand Removal Of Undocumented Migrants

Thousands of Protesters in South Africa Demand Removal of Undocumented Migrants SOUTH AFRICA South Africa Thousands of demonstrators marched across South Africa on Tuesday to demand that undocumented migrants leave the country, prompting authorities to deploy a heavy police presence as officials warned against violence. The protests, organized by the group March and March, took place in major cities, including Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. Police said thousands of officers were deployed to prevent clashes following attacks on foreign nationals in recent months. President Cyril Ramaphosa urged demonstrators to protest peacefully, adding that immigration enforcement must remain the responsibility of the government. The demonstrations follow months of escalating anti-migrant sentiment in the context of South Africa’s economic struggles. The country’s 30 percent unemployment rate and persistent inequalities have sparked claims about undocumented migrants taking jobs and increasing crime rates. An Afrobarometer survey found that most South Africans view immigration negatively, with seven in 10 saying immigrants hurt the economy and 85 percent supporting tighter restrictions on refugees. Around 25,000 migrants from countries including Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique have returned home in fear of the violence. Nigeria has separately flown out around 600 of its citizens. Government officials have said the protests have mostly been peaceful, aside from a few incidents including protesters throwing bricks in Yeoville, a suburb of Johannesburg. South Africa has experienced large-scale xenophobic violence in the past, with a 2008 attack on foreign nationals killing more than 60 people and displacing thousands. Similar outbreaks occurred in 2015 and 2019. National statistics from 2023 show migrants made up a little more than 4 percent of South Africa’s population, a lower share than in other Anglophone countries such as Canada, where migrants account for 22 percent, according to United Nations data. Anti-migrant advocates claim the figures do not include undocumented migrants, but officials insist they use census data that is designed to capture them too.