South Africa: Legal foreigners fearful as anti-immigrant deadline looms
Tensions continue to rise in South Africa ahead of a 30 June deadline set by citizen-led groups calling for undocumented migrants to leave the country.
In Durban, dozens of people took part in another anti-migrant march on Saturday. The demonstrations, which have intensified in recent weeks, have at times been marked by violence.
Thousands of migrants and documented refugees have been sleeping outside Home Affairs offices and consulates in cities, including Durban and Cape Town, waiting for repatriation.
Many hoping to flee the country are abandoning belongings accumulated over the years, taking just what they can carry with them.
They say they no longer feel safe in the communities they have been living in, some for decades, and are calling on the authorities to provide protection.
Gerard Itablo, a spokesperson for those camped outside a Home Affairs centre, said they know they are not safe.
“They are preparing something that is very bad to us. But we still hope that the government still has a chance to stop those rumours to stop those criminals, to stop this Afrophobia.”
He said the South African authorities have a duty to protect them.
A man among those sleeping outside the centre, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of his safety, said he was a legal resident.
“The reason I am here outside is because we are seeking of safety and what we need, we need the government to arrange a safe place because we can’t go back to community,” he said.
March and March, the group at the forefront of recent protests, has not said what will happen to foreigners who do not leave by its 30 June ultimatum.
Security forces are on high alert ahead of numerous anti-immigrant marches due to take place across the country on Tuesday.
Thousands of people from African nations, including Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique have already fled South Africa ahead of the date.
