Weekly protests by South African civil society groups demanding the removal of undocumented foreign nationals have escalated into violence, with reports of assaults, forced evictions and attacks on street traders.
The demonstrations, led by March and March, the Labour and Civic Organisation (Laco), the All Truck Drivers Forum and other groups, entered their second week on Thursday.
Speaking during a march in Alexandra, community leader Bongani Msomi said protesters were moving from house to house in search of undocumented foreigners.
“We are walking around doing door to door removing foreigners,” he said.
According to Daily Maverick, the demonstrations turned violent despite instructions from authorities that they should remain peaceful.
Several homes were reportedly raided, with at least one man beaten after being wrongly identified as a foreign national.
One of the victims, Morris Musa Mukhari, a 40-year-old South African from Limpopo Province, said he was targeted after speaking Xitsonga, a language widely spoken in both South Africa and neighbouring Mozambique. He alleged that protesters carrying sticks forced their way into his home, demanded proof of citizenship and assaulted him when he could not immediately produce his identity document.
Street vendors were also targeted during the protests. Marchers reportedly stopped traders, questioned their nationality and destroyed their goods, claiming foreign nationals had no right to operate businesses in the community.
A woman selling cooked food with her daughter told Daily Maverick that protesters dismantled her stall after assuming she was a foreigner based on her accent. She said the incident left her humiliated and her daughter traumatised.
Protesters also visited factories in Alexandra, demanding that employers ensure only South Africans were employed.
In a video shared by Laco on Facebook, members were seen telling company representatives they wanted all business spaces occupied by South Africans.
Laco secretary-general Nhlanhleni Zimu told Daily Maverick that the group did not verify immigration documents, arguing that residents already knew who undocumented foreigners were.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned acts of vigilantism disguised as patriotism, warning that anyone involved in criminal conduct during the protests would be prosecuted.
Nigerian authorities, however, have expressed concern over what they describe as inadequate investigations and accountability for attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa.
