Africa: South Africa Unrest Grows As Migrants Become 'Scapegoats'

Africa: South Africa Unrest Grows As Migrants Become 'Scapegoats'

South Africa is once again facing a rise in anti-migrant tensions, with vigilante groups reportedly going door to door demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country by the end of June. Post-apartheid specialist Cécile Perrot tells RFI the violence reflects deeper social and economic problems and that migrants have increasingly become scapegoats for poverty and unemployment.

Displaced migrants leave South Africa after xenophobic attacks

Displaced migrants following xenophobic violence in South Africa’s Western Cape province left the region by bus on Thursday.

Anti-Foreigner Unrest In South Africa: ‘I Am Leaving’ - Migrants Speak Of Fear, Uncertainty As Xenophobic Protests Spread

As anti-foreigner protests spread, migrants are faced with a choice: hope the protests, intimidation and violence subside or leave South Africa Sitting at Park Station, Johannesburg, on Thursday, 4 June 2026, 30-year-old James Alan was waiting with four friends for a bus to Malawi. “I am leaving due to the anti-immigrant protests. My mother has been calling me back home. I think it is time I listen to her,” he said. “I do not have a choice, I am…

Xenophobic Attacks Force Migrants To Leave South Africa

Displaced migrants affected by xenophobic violence in South Africa’s Western Cape Province began leaving the region by bus on Thursday. The foreign nationals were forced from their homes following attacks that erupted less than a week ago in the Southern Cape area. Authorities transported one group housed in Kleinmond, while another group accommodated at a centre in Stanford awaited transfer as part of ongoing return procedures. READ ALSO:South …

South Africa caught between protecting migrants and assuaging anger over jobs

Hundreds of migrants flee into the Kleinmond mountains as anti-immigrant violence sweeps South...