South African cities shuttered, military on standby as anti-migrant protests gather pace

Demonstrators wrapped in flags and wielding wooden sticks gathered crossways s Africa on tues for anti-immigrant marches, some of which saw legal brief outbreaks of force amid heavy police guard, as shops remained shut and foreign workers stayed at home.

Thousands of foreign nationals from elsewhere in Africa had already fled the country ahead of Tuesday's "deadline" set by the demonstrators for all undocumented migrants to leave.

In parts of the main commercial city Johannesburg and the port city of Durban, hundreds of protesters marched swathed in South African flags and carrying wooden batons, watched by police with armoured vehicles and support helicopters.

"People are not working; the jobs are being taken by illegal foreigners. It's not fair," said Silindile Xaba, 31, part of a group of women chanting anti-migrant slogans in central Durban.

Migrants have interpreted the deadline as a physical threat, and there were scattered signs of violence by midday local time, although marches were mostly peaceful. Police said they had arrested some looters, giving no further details.

In Thembisa, a northern suburb of Johannesburg, rioters threw stones at police and suspected migrants, while sporadic gunfire could be heard near the central business district.

National paper the Daily Maverick reported police deploying tactical vehicles and firing shots in Benoni, eastern Johannesburg, after being threatened by 500 protesters.

A police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the densely populated township of Soweto, protesters looted some shacks of foreign nationals, national broadcaster SABC reported.

At least five people have been killed in violence since protests began in April, with thousands driven from their homes or seeing their businesses and property vandalized.

In such attacks, which have recurred sporadically in South Africa since 2008, little distinction is made between those who entered legally and those who did not.

The campaign group March and March, run by a former radio presenter behind the latest protests, denies encouraging violence, and says it cannot be held responsible for spontaneous acts of anger by South Africans toward undocumented migrants.

"We are trying to channel that anger towards the government," Jacinta Ngobese told Reuters in an interview two weeks ago.

"Unfortunately, we can't be in every single community telling them ... How to behave. They live with these people."

Landlords in Durban and Johannesburg were illegally evicting foreign tenants for fear of their buildings being vandalized, witnesses said.

"All these people, they were chased out by their landlords," said Mabako Majole, a leader of the Congolese community, standing beside around 100 people sleeping rough in downtown Durban. "All these people are legal. They have documents."

The marches in several cities are expected to draw many thousands of mostly poor or unemployed South Africans who blame foreign nationals for their hardships.

Thousands of police were deployed and military were on standby on an emergency budget of 600 million rand ($52 million), a military spokesperson said.

The wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, and what critics say is a failure by police to protect victims, have tarnished South Africa's post-Nelson Mandela reputation as a defender of human rights and strained ties with other African nations.

Immigrants are blamed for taking jobs, driving crime and putting pressure on public services — claims that social scientists say lack evidence.

"There are streets in town where the shops are all run by foreigners. In my hometown [Ulundi], Ethiopians own a lot of shops. That hurts the people that were there before," Meluneki Dlamini, 31 and unemployed, told Reuters at the march in Durban.

Thirty years since the end of apartheid, South Africa remains unequal, economic growth is slow and a third of people are out of work. Despite this, it remains Africa’s largest economy and continues to draw migrants.

The immigrant population stands at about three million, or about four per cent, of the total, according to StatsSA — a relatively low share by global standards.

Deputy National Commissioner for Policing Tebello Mosikili said 103 criminal cases had been opened against anti-foreigner vigilantes since March, and the state had a duty to ensure demonstrations are peaceful.

South Africa seeks help curbing anti-immigrant violence

Some politicians have echoed protesters' concerns even while condemning the violence.

"South Africans' ... Deep concerns about illegal immigration ... Are real and they deserve to be heard," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement on Monday.

"But the right to protest ... Does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence."

South African officials note that Western countries face similar tensions over immigration, often fuelled by divisive politics and misinformation.

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