South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to crush any attempts to destabilise the nation during planned anti-immigrant marches next week, amid a wave of xenophobia.
Citizen-led groups have set Tuesday, June 30 as a deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave and called for nationwide marches against illegal immigration, marking a crescendo in months of protests that have at times turned violent.
The unofficial ultimatum has stoked fears of xenophobic clashes that have claimed several lives in the past.
“We will not tolerate any attempts to destabilise the country by anyone, whether marching or otherwise,” said Ramaphosa.
Security forces are ‘ready’
“Our security forces are ready and those who transgress the measures that we are putting in place will definitely meet the might of the law,” he told the upper house of parliament.
Police have tightened security across the nation for June 30 while government officials have stepped up efforts to ensure calm, including meeting the influential Zulu Royal House.
The country has been on edge following weeks of xenophobic unrest that has left at least three people dead, according to official sources.
Mozambican authorities put the toll among their nationals at five.
Voluntary repatriations
The anti-migrant campaign has already spurred voluntary repatriations of thousands of foreigners from elsewhere in Africa, including Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, and Nigeria.
Makeshift camps have mushroomed in the eastern port city of Durban and financial capital Johannesburg as thousands await transport to their home countries, prompting warnings from aid groups of a deepening humanitarian crisis.
“We are taking measures to ensure that June 30th becomes a normal day where people will be able to work, to go about their business,” Ramaphosa said.
Among Africa’s largest and most industrialised economies, South Africa has long been a prime destination for people seeking work even though its own unemployment rate stands at around 32%.
Competition for jobs
Competition for scarce work has fuelled resentment, and some South Africans blame migrants for both poverty and crime.
Past flare-ups of violence targeting undocumented foreign nationals have been deadly, with 62 people killed in riots in 2008.
