South Africa has been on tenterhooks as violent protests against illegal migrants have swept across the rainbow nation, with deadly clashes and widespread looting stoking fears of xenophobia.
Ethiopian refugee Helen Wolde described how he was locked inside his home, hoping to be safe, only to witness thousands of angry demonstrators on television march through South Africa calling for foreigners like him to leave, according to a report by Reuters.
Wolde, who owns a small coffee shop in downtown Durban expressed how terrified his wife and their three South-African born children were as the protesters vow to continue pushing for deportations. But after leaving Ethiopia 21 years ago to escape political persecution, Wolde does not see going back as an option, the report stated.
Anti-immigrant protests took to the streets, draped in flags and welding wooden weapons leading to some marches being hit by violence and looting. South Africa has an estimated immigrant population of around 3 million people, making up roughly 4% of its total population.
The protest movement, March and March, gave what it called a "deadline" for June 30th 2026, for undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa. Protesters say they are targeting only undocumented immigrants, not legal migrants, rejecting any accusations of Xenophobia.
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The group's leader, Jacinta Ngobese, said in a speech that the country's economy has been "hijacked" and should benefit South African's first. Researchers, rights groups and many migrants have reported that the protests have increasingly taken on a xenophopic character as the hostility is directed at people because they are perceived foreigners, regardless of their legal status.
At least four people have been killed and thousands of foreigners have been driven from their homes and seen their businesses and properties get vandalised, according to reports.
The South African government has acknowledged public concerns over illegal immigration but condemned xenophobic attacks and has warned its people against vigilantism. Human rights organisations have said that the protests risk fueling discrimination against all foreign nationals, including refugees and legal residents.
The wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, and what critics say is a failure by police to protect victims, have tarnished South Africa's post-Nelson Mandela reputation as a defender of human rights and strained ties with other African nations, according to reports.
Human Rights groups, including Amnesty International South Africa, have condemned the targeting of migrants, arguing that they are being used as scapegoats for deeper socio-economic failures, high unemployment and a backlogged asylum system, Al Jazeera reported.
"South Africans' deep concerns about illegal immigration are real and they deserve to be heard. But the right to protest does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.
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