Rising xenophobia in South Africa – ACTSA and other former anti-apartheid movements call on the ANC to address the violence

Xenophobia and violence against migrants are growing in many parts of the world. One of the places it is rising most disturbingly is South Africa which has in recent months seen an escalation of violence against African and Asian foreign nationals.

In April and May 2026 demonstrations against undocumented migrants in major cities were organised by groups such as March on March. Protests turned violent, and even fatal, with foreign nationals from African countries becoming targets of violent attacks, intimidation and forced removals by protestors and vigilante groups.

Xenophobic discrimination in South Africa is not a series of isolated incidents, but rather an ongoing reality that is growing in intensity and frequency. Xenowatch, a monitoring platform developed by the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS) at the University of the Witwatersrand, recorded 406 verified incidents between 2022 and 2025, with 151 in 2025 alone.

The violence has intensified again this year. Some marches held by groups such as Operation Dudula as well as March on March, in which people are brandishing spears and assaulting people, are reminiscent of the violence of the 1990s. These movements have spearheaded a widespread tendency to blame immigrants for South Africa’s unemployment crisis and rising rates of crimes, despite studies disproving these claims.

These groups have also been linked to raids on foreign-owned businesses and to trying to block migrants from accessing health services. Many immigrants are threatened and pressured to close their businesses and pack up the suitcases. In a town in KwaZulu Natal, Estcourt, the mayor has given foreign nationals 21 days to leave the town.

Several African countries have expressed concern about the safety of their nationals in South Africa, to the South African government. Ghana and Nigeria recently urged those of their compatriots living in Pretoria to close their shops, “keep a low profile” and “stay indoors” while a recent anti-immigrant march. The Ghanaian government recently petitioned the African Union to intervene.

The ANC and government have issued statements, but nothing that responds to the urgency of the matter. Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for the South African president, recently argued that “South Africans are not xenophobic” and that the protests were within the scope of the country’s constitutional framework. Human Rights Watch have pointed to “little or insufficient apparent response from the police and other authorities.”

Action must be taken – joint letter to ANC
Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) is Britain’s former anti-apartheid movement, which was founded in 1994 after South Africa’s first democratic elections. On Monday 11th May, together with representatives from previous anti-apartheid movements in Denmark and the Netherlands, we sent a letter to the leadership of South Africa’s governing party ANC.

In the letter, the former anti-apartheid groups express concern about the xenophobic attacks in South Africa that increasingly hit nationals from other African countries.

“We urge you to call on the Minister of Justice to ensure that the prosecuting authorities investigate all forms of xenophobic attacks, threats, and statements that target people solely because of their origin or nationality”, we wrote.

These events should also be seen in light of the fact that the struggle against apartheid by the ANC and other South African organisations succeeded in large part with the support of people from South Africa’s neighbouring countries and a number of other African countries.

Rising xenophobia is exploited by politicians
Approximately 2.5 million immigrants live in South Africa, about 4 percent of the country’s population. The figure is steadily rising and most migrants come from South Africa’s neighbouring countries.

The South African Research Institute, the Human Sciences Research Council earlier this month, described how an increasing number of South Africans would rather have no immigrants in South Africa at all – 42 percent in 2025 compared to 28 percent in 2020.

Hostility towards immigrants is particularly high among poor South Africans – a third of South Africans are officially unemployed, while the youth unemployment rate among 15-24-year-olds is over 60 percent.

Migrants contribute positively to the economy
Many studies show that far from creating economic crisis, immigrants living in South Africa contribute positively to the South African economy as well as creating jobs for South Africans. Immigrants are essential drivers of South Africa’s economic growth and fill gaps in the country’s labour market.

Historically, one can see that xenophobia thrives best when governments fail to create economic security and social justice, and nationalism works to weaponise the fallout. Here immigrants and foreigners generally quickly become scapegoats for the structural missteps of governments – and the world community – and a political system that creates growing inequality.

And what of other solutions? Recent research has shown that a UBI in South Africa could act as a large financial stimulus that would lift the economy out of stagnation and boost jobs, while high rates of poverty. Amandla.mobi and other South African organisations are calling on the South African government to implement a Universal Basic Income (UBI) to tackle poverty and boost the economy. Read our January 2026 report with Amandla.mobi here.