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Anti-immigrant groups in South Africa have forcibly removed foreign nationals from their homes in Johannesburg and handed them over to police.
A Reuters reporter witnessed members of the groups breaking down doors and entering houses in Alexandra township, where they believed undocumented immigrants were living.
One of those detained, Zimbabwean national Total Mhlanga, told Reuters he was in the country legally.
“I am a ZEP holder,” Mhlanga said, referring to the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit, which allows tens of thousands of Zimbabwean nationals to live and work in South Africa.
Several anti-immigrant groups marched through the area carrying sticks and flags before heading to Soweto, where they said they planned to search for undocumented immigrants.
Flyers promoting Thursday’s demonstrations described them as a “peaceful march” followed by a “door-to-door” operation. A similar protest was also held in Durban.
The groups escorted those they detained, including a woman and a young child from Malawi, to waiting police vans, where they were taken into custody.
South Africa has witnessed a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment in recent months, culminating in nationwide protests on June 30, an informal deadline set by activists for undocumented immigrants to leave the country.
The movement’s most prominent leader, former radio presenter Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, announced that demonstrations would continue every Thursday until their demands were met.
Her organisation, March and March, has blamed undocumented immigrants for South Africa’s economic challenges and is calling for tighter border controls, mass deportations, and priority access for South Africans to schools and healthcare facilities.
“We are walking around doing door-to-door, removing foreigners,” community leader Bongani Msomi said during the march in Alexandra.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly warned against scapegoating immigrants for the country’s deep-rooted problems. His government has also stressed that citizens have no authority to enforce immigration laws themselves.
Police have intensified arrests of undocumented migrants in response to the protests and have deployed officers to monitor recent demonstrations.
Several African countries have begun repatriating their nationals from South Africa, with more evacuation flights expected.
Malawi’s government said on Thursday that more than 38,000 of its citizens had returned from South Africa in recent weeks as part of a large-scale repatriation effort prompted by safety concerns. More than 60,000 Zimbabwean nationals have also returned home.
