Anti-immigrant sentiment rises in South Africa ahead of planned rallies
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Undocumented immigrants have been warned to leave South Africa by Tuesday ahead of planned anti-immigrant protests. Fears are growing that the demonstrations could turn violent despite organisers insisting they will remain peaceful.
Thousands of African migrants have reportedly returned to their home countries or sought refuge in temporary camps amid concerns over possible attacks. The protests are being organised by the anti-immigration group March and March, which argues that undocumented foreigners are taking jobs, straining public services, and contributing to crime, reported Reuters.
The latest demonstrations come as surveys show anti-immigrant sentiment has risen sharply in South Africa.
A 2024 Human Sciences Research Council poll found that 42% of respondents would welcome no foreigners, while Afrobarometer reported that seven in 10 South Africans viewed immigrants as having a negative economic impact. An Ipsos survey also found nearly three-quarters of respondents said they did not trust immigrants from elsewhere in Africa.
However, available data challenges many of the claims driving the protests. According to South Africa's national statistics office, migrants accounted for about 3.1 million people, or 4.1% of the country's population, in 2023, a proportion lower than that of several developed countries.
Researchers also dispute assertions that migrants are responsible for high crime or unemployment.
A 2018 World Bank report found that every employed migrant helped create roughly two jobs for South Africans through economic activity. Academics say evidence also suggests immigrants are generally law-abiding, while South Africa's struggling healthcare and education systems are largely the result of chronic underinvestment, poor governance, and corruption rather than migration.
Experts say high unemployment, deep inequality, and poor public services have fuelled frustration, making migrants an easy target for public anger, particularly ahead of local elections due later this year.