South African Authorities Relocate Hundreds of Migrants Amid Rising Anti-Foreigner Tensions
- May 22
- 2 min read
South African authorities have transferred hundreds of foreign nationals from a church shelter in Durban following growing threats linked to anti-immigrant campaigns in the country.
The operation, carried out on Thursday, saw police move nearly 400 migrants — including women and children — from the Diakonia Centre to a government refugee facility. The migrants, many from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Somalia, had reportedly taken refuge at the centre after receiving threats from anti-migrant groups operating in parts of Durban.
Witnesses said security officials escorted the migrants onto buses while anti-immigration demonstrators gathered nearby, chanting for undocumented foreigners to leave the country. Some of the displaced migrants displayed identification documents through bus windows in an attempt to show they were legally residing in South Africa.
The evacuation was briefly disrupted by isolated confrontations, including an incident involving a man who reportedly tried to resist removal before police intervened.
Meanwhile, Ghanaian authorities announced plans to evacuate more than 800 of their citizens from South Africa after outrage erupted over a viral video allegedly showing a Ghanaian man being assaulted.
South Africa has experienced repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence over the years, particularly during periods of economic hardship. Major anti-foreigner attacks in 2008, 2015, and 2021 left several people dead and thousands displaced.
With local government elections approaching in the next six months, observers say anti-immigration rhetoric has again become a prominent political issue.
One migrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Robert Ikobia, said he fled conflict in his home country as a child but has repeatedly faced attacks in South Africa despite possessing legal documents.
According to him, he survived a gunshot wound during earlier xenophobic unrest and was later stabbed in another mob attack, adding that he continues to struggle to find safety despite escaping war in his homeland.
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