Anti-immigrant protesters in South Africa have escalated their campaign against African migrants by targeting schools, physically blocking children of foreign nationals from attending classes and having them removed from their classrooms during the school day.
Groups gathered outside certain schools early in the morning and stopped children of Black immigrants from entering for classes. In circulating video footage, the children were seen being taken out of their classrooms during school hours, with their parents called to collect them.
Witnesses captured a South African man directing abusive language at the children and their parents, telling them to return to their home countries. The confrontation left many children frightened, with parents attempting to calm and reassure them amid the tension.
Police officers arrived at the scene to prevent the situation from turning violent, but despite their presence the children were still sent out of the schools.
The incident is part of a broader surge in anti-immigration activity. A group calling itself the Concerned Citizens and Voters has called for a nationwide shutdown on May 4, 2026, urging schools, workplaces and businesses to close in support of a march demanding the removal of foreign nationals.
While anti-immigrant groups marched through parts of Durban under the banner of so-called clean-up campaigns, shutting down businesses and harassing foreign nationals, no one has been prosecuted for organising or directing these actions, despite the visible presence of the South African Police Service and clear legal provisions that criminalise such conduct.
South Africa’s constitution guarantees the right to basic education for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, yet anti-immigrant vigilante groups have repeatedly blocked migrants from accessing public health facilities and schools.
The incidents have drawn attention across the continent, particularly in countries that once supported South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle, making the contrast between that era of African solidarity and the present hostility toward fellow Africans difficult to ignore.
Human rights groups have condemned the attacks, with Lungelo Lethu Human Rights Foundation president Nkululeko Xhelitole warning: “This is a country of laws, and we cannot, as South Africans, start blaming foreigners for all our ills.”
