XENOBAROMETER: Xenophobic surge dials up trauma for many immigrant pupils at SA schools in 2026
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.
Xenophobic surge has caused trauma for many immigrant pupils at South African schools in 2026. The XenoBarometer tracks the anti-immigrant movement and its impact, aiming to surface underreported stories and potential rights abuses. In Cape Town, immigrant parents were dismayed after school authorities requested valid immigration documentation.
Excelsior High School sent letters to pupils of immigrant parents, warning that the school would be audited by the Department of Home Affairs. Buren High School in Brooklyn also sent a WhatsApp message requesting updated immigration documentation from foreign learners. The Western Cape Education Department clarified that matrics are allowed to write exams even without identity documentation.
However, immigrant pupils have reported bullying, hate, and trauma as a result of the anti-immigration movement.
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