Dozens of foreign nationals sought refuge at a church centre in South Africa’s eastern city of Durban on Wednesday as mobs of locals stepped up a weeks-long campaign against undocumented migrants.
Small but vocal anti-migrant protests have picked up across the country in recent weeks, with one Durban-based group telling undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country by June 30.
About 250 people — mostly women and children — gathered behind the gates of the Diakonia Council of Churches building in Durban’s city centre, some saying they feared for their safety after a campaign of harassment and threats.
Miriamu Mokonzi from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict-plagued Kivu region told AFP that mobs had visited her home at the weekend to ask when her family was leaving.
“They warned that if we don’t leave by the end of the month, we will be attacked or killed,” said Mokonzi. “That is why I am here with my children,” she said, pointing to two boys nearby.
Durban, a major port city and economic hub, has been a flashpoint for xenophobic violence with organised groups targeting foreign nationals under different banners.
The March and March group fronted by men in traditional Zulu dress and carrying shields and sticks has told undocumented migrants to leave by June 30, accusing them of being involved in crime.
Its demand has no legal weight and is not backed by the authorities but has raised alarm among migrants, with disinformation spread on social media fuelling tensions.
Many of the people gathered at the church centre said they had been hounded in their homes, particularly in townships and informal settlements, by vigilantes moving door to door delivering threats.
Several women reported being robbed of cellphones, money and other belongings.
Moses Ombeni, also from the DRC, said the migrants gathered at the centre were from other African countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.
The group had sought protection at a police station earlier in the week but were forced to leave when police used rubber bullets and teargas, he said, with some reporting injuries.
South Africa has faced recurring waves of xenophobic violence since 2008, when dozens of migrants were killed and thousands displaced in attacks across the country.
Similar flare-ups occurred in 2015 and again in 2021, often sparked by economic frustrations and political mobilisation around anti-immigrant rhetoric.
The latest spike in anti-immigrant tensions comes as political parties seek support ahead of local government elections in six months.
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