Thousands march in South Africa demanding undocumented migrants leave

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Thousands march in South Africa demanding undocumented migrants leave
Hardline anti-immigrant groups enforce June 30 deadline as thousands flee South Africa
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Thousands of South Africans marched on Tuesday in coordinated protests across major cities, demanding the immediate departure of undocumented migrants as anti-immigrant groups’ self-imposed June 30 deadline triggered mass displacement and violence. The demonstrations, which drew participants in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, followed weeks of escalating xenophobic rhetoric that has already forced an estimated 25,000 foreigners to flee the country and left four people dead .
Police deployed in force nationwide, shuttering businesses and deploying armored vehicles as fears of further unrest mounted. In Johannesburg, storefronts remained boarded up and armed guards patrolled streets, while in Durban, protesters under the banner of the "March and March" movement called on the government to enforce stricter controls on undocumented migration . The protests come after hardline groups declared the June 30 deadline, prompting a surge in departures, particularly among Congolese refugees in KwaZulu-Natal and Nigerian communities facing targeted violence .
President Cyril Ramaphosa has pushed back against the protests, stating that "illegal immigration is not the cause of our social and economic difficulties," a sentiment echoed by analysts who argue that migrants have become scapegoats for systemic failures . Aimée-Noel Mbiyozo, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told *France 24* that anti-migrant narratives persist not because they are evidence-based but because they offer "politically expedient explanations for complex problems" .
The crisis has exposed deep fractures in South Africa’s post-apartheid identity as the "rainbow nation," with international observers warning that the government’s response will determine whether the country can reconcile its democratic ideals with growing public anger over unemployment, inequality, and corruption. Meanwhile, humanitarian groups report that migrants—many of whom have lived in South Africa for years—are now seeking refuge in neighboring countries or returning to conflict zones, fearing for their safety .
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