XenoBarometer: Migrant crackdown raises concerns over state’s role in growing anti-immigrant pressure
XenoBarometer tracks the anti-immigrant movement and its impact. We aim to surface underreported stories, paying close attention to potential rights abuses, emerging patterns in anti-immigrant mobilisation and failures in the government’s response.
Title: Migrant Crackdown Sparks Fears of State Role in Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
XenoBarometer, a new reporting project, aims to track the anti-immigrant movement and its impact on politics and migrant communities in South Africa. The project will be published weekly and focuses on underreported stories, rights abuses, emerging patterns in anti-immigrant mobilization, and the government's response to the situation.
Since March, South Africa has announced a deadline of June 30 for undocumented migrants to leave the country. By early September, 129,000 Zimbabweans had voluntarily repatriated, while over 56,000 Malawians had returned to their home country. Despite this, many foreign nationals, both documented and undocumented, have chosen to remain in South Africa amid a growing sense of insecurity and shrinking access to services and opportunities.
Interviews conducted by Viewfinder with 13 activists and community leaders revealed widespread fear and reduced access to essential services. In Johannesburg, Claude Kayitare of the Southern Africa Network for Immigrants and Refugees reported that immigrants were still being stopped on the streets and asked for documentation, with some immigrants being extorted by vigilantes. In Durban, Gaby Bikombo of Refugee Social Services stated that undocumented immigrants continued to be denied access to public healthcare facilities.
Additionally, government departments appear to be aligning with the anti-immigrant movement's agenda. For instance, the Border Management Authority reportedly freezes asylum seekers' bank accounts when they attempt to repatriate without first canceling their protection applications, leaving them unable to access the funds needed for their journey.
The Department of Home Affairs acknowledged receiving queries but had not yet provided a response. Similarly, the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court ordered the unlocking of migrant-owned businesses that had been sealed with padlocks during alleged bylaw enforcement operations, but the relief was short-lived as authorities ultimately closed down the town.
In the Winelands area of the Western Cape, over a hundred migrants have been arrested in sporadic incidents of xenophobic violence.
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