Protests broke out across South Africa on Tuesday as anti-immigrant groups pressed ahead with demonstrations tied to an unofficial June 30 deadline calling for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.
Police have been deployed in major cities including Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, and other urban centers, amid fears of unrest linked to coordinated rallies led by groups including Operation Dudula and the March and March movement.
Shops remained shut and foreign workers stayed at home while security helicopters were reportedly seen circling overhead as police monitored crowds carrying South African flags and wooden batons.
In Tembisa, a northern suburb of Johannesburg, protesters threw stones at police during clashes, while sporadic gunfire was heard near the central business district, according to Reuters. The Daily Maverick reported that police deployed tactical vehicles and fired shots in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, after being confronted by a crowd of about 500 protesters.
Local media IOL reported that a Nigerian husband of a prominent politician was arrested in Bloemfontein, the judicial capital of the Free State province, after allegedly housing about 28 undocumented foreign nationals at his guesthouse.
The South African Police Service said in a statement that it has arrested five people for “breaking into tuck shops owned by foreign nationals and stealing various items” in KwaZulu-Natal, one of the country’s most populous provinces along the Indian Ocean coast.
The demonstrations come after months of rising tensions over undocumented migration, with organizers insisting the protests are aimed at enforcing immigration laws and accusing migrants of taking jobs from locals, contributing to crime, and placing pressure on public services.
The South African government has dismissed the ultimatum demanding the exit of undocumented migrants, warning against attempts to impose extralegal ultimatums.
The unrest has revived a long-running controversy over attacks on African migrants in South Africa, the continent’s most industrialized economy, where unemployment remains above 30%.
Earlier this month, the Mozambican government said at least five of its nationals were killed in xenophobic attacks in Mossel Bay, Western Cape, during violence that broke out between May 30 and June 1, with hundreds more displaced.
Ghana has repatriated about 300 nationals in the first evacuation flight from South Africa, according to officials. Nigeria, Malawi, and Mozambique have also taken similar actions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm in April over alleged xenophobic attacks, harassment, and intimidation against foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.
South African authorities have rejected characterizations of the country as xenophobic. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya described such claims in May as a “lazy analysis” of complex social and economic pressures.