New wave of xenophobic attacks hits South Africa as vigilante groups target migrants

Human Rights Watch has warned of a new wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa as anti-immigration groups intensify protests and vigilante-style actions targeting foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans, Ghanaians, and other African migrants.

The warning came in a report released on May 21 amid rising protests in South African cities, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban. Groups such as March and March, and Operation Dudula—two South African anti-immigration movements advocating stricter enforcement against undocumented migration—have led protests in several cities.

Migrants under siege

"We continue to receive reports through our community networks of intimidation, threats, harassment, unlawful evictions, workplace discrimination, police extortion, and denial of access to healthcare and other basic services," said Mike Ndlovu, media coordinator for Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia.

Zwelibanzi Velempini Khumalo, a Zimbabwean migrant, described increasing hostility in communities around Durban and Pietermaritzburg. He said tensions in Mpumuza earlier this year led to foreign nationals being driven out, with some losing furniture, belongings, and business stock during unrest. "Informal traders and shop owners were the most affected," he said.

Khumalo also said he lost his job as an accounting lecturer after members of vigilante groups reportedly demanded that undocumented staff be removed from his workplace. His wife, who still holds a valid permit, is now the family's sole income earner. "We have tried to regularise our documents, but it is difficult to penetrate the system because there is too much red tape," he said.

Ghana announces support

The violence has prompted a regional response. Ghana's government has announced a support package for citizens returning from South Africa, and previously announced plans to evacuate hundreds of Ghanaians as concern grew over xenophobic attacks targeting African migrants.

International pressure

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights have both voiced concerns and called on South African authorities to investigate abuses, ensure accountability, and protect migrants' access to justice and services. Human Rights Watch said scapegoating migrants is driving violence, stressing that blaming migrants for crime, unemployment, and poor services risks deepening xenophobia and undermining human rights protections.

Zimbabwe's Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi said his country was monitoring the rising anti-migrant tensions in South Africa but stressed that Harare would not interfere in Pretoria's internal affairs. "You cannot go to their home and teach them what to do," he said. "Zimbabwe is engaging through diplomatic channels and embassies to assist nationals facing difficulties."

South Africa says it remains committed to the rule of law and the protection of foreign nationals despite rising tensions.

Roots of the crisis

Mpho Makhubela, a member of the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa and an activist in KAAX, said vigilante groups are growing in response to wider social frustration. "Vigilante groups feed off the country's frustrations over unemployment, socioeconomic decline and the lack of effort to address inequality gaps," he told Al Jazeera. "The country continues to face the enormous task of addressing the legacies of apartheid."

For diaspora communities from across Africa—Zimbabwean traders, Nigerian entrepreneurs, Ghanaian students, Malawian delivery workers—the violence and harassment have had a direct impact on daily life. Many now face an impossible choice: stay and risk violence, or leave and lose livelihoods built over years.

What comes next

The South African government has yet to announce concrete measures to curb vigilante violence or protect foreign nationals. Regional bodies including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are under pressure to address the crisis, which threatens not only human rights but also regional economic integration and the free movement of people enshrined in SADC protocols. For now, migrants are left to navigate a landscape of rising hostility with little state protection.

Reporting drawn from Al Jazeera, Okay Africa.