The Expulsion of Black African Migrants from South Africa: Another Blow to African Solidarity and Pan-Africanism
Thousands of anti-migrant demonstrators took to the streets of the main cities of the Republic of South Africa in coordinated protests on 30 June 2026, the day of an unofficial deadline for the departure of undocumented migrants from the country. Homes were abandoned, while offices and shops were closed. Police units were deployed, backed up by private security guards, while the South African National Defence Force was put on standby. President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged public concerns but warned against violence. Some protesters came draped in warrior attire (leopard skins) or flags and brought traditional Zulu accessories such as assegais (wooden spears), knobkerries (wooden clubs), sjamboks (leather whips), and shields. Chants, whistles, and vuvuzelas (plastic horns) amplified their messages. There was sporadic violence, which was readily contained by the massive security presence. Shops were looted and property vandalised, reflecting the anger of protesters at migrants, not just undocumented but also legal residents, and at perceived government inaction in the matter. Any counter-protests were far outnumbered by the overwhelming tide of anti-migrant sentiment.
Immigrants have become a convenient scapegoat for South Africa’s high unemployment (one-third of the adult population is out of work), growing economic inequality, stretched public services, housing shortages, high crime, and drug-related problems. South Africa is, however, the biggest economy in Africa, with a nominal GDP of $749.96 billion as of May 2026, and is often described as an ‘economic and financial powerhouse.’ It includes the financial hub of Johannesburg, which is home to a stock exchange and the headquarters of the banking sector. Despite all the public discontent, the South African economy has proved to be resilient and grown by a modest 0.5% in Q1 (January-March) 2026.
South Africa, which has land borders with six other countries, has proved attractive to intending migrants from its economic allies within the 16-member Southern African Development Community, such as Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, and also from further away in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria. Migrant labour has been engaged in the mining, agriculture, construction, transport, and hospitality sectors, as well as in the informal economy. Some migrants own spaza shops-small convenience shops which are important in the local economies of the economically disadvantaged townships. A smaller proportion of refugees and asylum seekers have arrived from conflict zones, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. According to Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), there are around three million immigrants in the nation, accounting for 4% of the total population of 63 million. The extent of undocumented migration is likely to be underestimated. The so-called “migrant problem” has been framed by anti-immigration protesters as one in which migrants compete for jobs, housing, and public services (education, healthcare) and divert their earnings in foreign remittances, all to the detriment of native-born South Africans, while disregarding the entrepreneurship and tax contributions of many foreign-born residents.
The presence of migrants has led to intermittent waves of violent xenophobia ever since 2008, when 62 people, including some South Africans who were mistaken for migrants, were killed in anti-migrant riots. Further major outbreaks of violence took place in 2015, 2016, 2019, and in July 2021-when 354 people were killed in riots in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Most recently, two Mozambican men have been killed at Mossel Bay in the Western Cape in May 2026, and a Malawian man lost his life in Pietermaritzburg.
A number of citizen groups have come together to demand the repatriation of ‘undocumented’ foreign workers. These include the March and March (Until We Win) movement, Abahambe (They Must Go) national civic movement, and Operation Dudula (Force Out)- all with self-explanatory names. Grassroots activists have garnered public support through online campaigns (social media posts), the distribution of pamphlets, and public demonstrations, and engaged in vigilante actions to enforce their demands. South Africa has meanwhile adopted the tools of Trumpian America. Raids have increased, and deportations have risen from 14, 859 per year in 2020/2021 to 57, 784 in 2025/2026. Some African nations have been organising voluntary repatriations of their citizens by bus and air. Less fortunate migrants have fled to transit camps, with whatever personal possessions they can carry, to be processed and deported from South Africa.
The situation in South Africa today echoes and amplifies similar anti-migrant sentiments in Western Europe and the United States and is symptomatic of a lack of economic opportunity for the masses. The ‘deadline day has come and gone’, but weekly marches will continue. The new South Africa, under the African National Congress, is no longer the nation as once envisaged by Nelson Mandela. The root causes of state inefficiency and rampant corruption are being overlooked in the frenzy to cleanse South Africa of its relatively small migrant population. The future seems far from promising, as the underlying illness, the diagnosis of the problem, and the prescribed treatments are at odds with one another.
Ashis Banerjee