Anti-immigrant vigilantes in South Africa escalated their campaign against foreign nationals this week, with protests in Durban turning violent as groups moved door-to-door targeting migrants and looting shops owned by foreigners.
The March and March Movement, which has been holding what it calls “clean-up campaigns” in Durban’s central business district, saw its demonstrations descend into violence on Monday as locals attacked foreigners and looted their shops. Videos circulating on social media showing foreigners being beaten sparked widespread calls for police to intervene.
The unrest reflects a pattern of confrontations that have grown sharper in recent months. On the second day of the week-long campaign, vigilantes apprehended people in the streets suspected of being undocumented, with members of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MKP) Party joining the protesters. Separately, an individual filmed himself late at night outside a quiet settlement occupied by migrants, insisting foreigners were “sleeping nicely” while South Africans were outside in the cold, and demanding that all foreign nationals return to their home countries.
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma framed the campaign as a moment of rare political unity, saying South Africans from different parties were standing together against illegal immigration.
Political leaders and refugee organisations have demanded accountability for the week-long disruptions, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini labelling the unregulated demonstrations a direct threat to the city’s constitutional order.
The protests are unfolding against a charged political backdrop. With local elections due in under a year, immigration has become an even sharper political flashpoint, and anti-foreigner sentiment has repeatedly erupted into violent and sometimes deadly attacks on migrants.
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs reported that deportations surged by a cumulative 46 percent over the past two financial years, reaching 109,344 by March 31, 2026.
Rights groups warn the rhetoric is outpacing reality. A 2022 report by the Institute for Security Studies found that many claims made by anti-immigrant groups are based on exaggerations, including false assertions that immigrants commit most crimes or overload public services.
Observers note that xenophobia in South Africa takes multiple forms, ranging from individual hostility and hate speech to communal mob actions and structural discrimination embedded in official policy.
