The Cape Town-based Human Rights Association (HRA) has urged the South African government to take immediate and enforceable action against vigilante groups responsible for a wave of xenophobic attacks targeting African and Asian foreign nationals across the country since April.
HRA chairman Saad Kassis-Mohamed said the South African Police Service (SAPS) must uphold its constitutional duty to protect all people within the country’s borders, regardless of nationality.
“What is happening to African migrants in South Africa is not protest. It is organised violence against people who have done nothing wrong except be foreign,” Kassis-Mohamed said in a statement.
A citizen‑led movement known as March and March has organised anti‑immigration demonstrations in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban, with violence frequently accompanying the protests.
Vigilante groups linked to the movement have assaulted individuals perceived to be migrants, attacked foreign‑owned businesses and, in one case, severely injured a Cameroonian shop owner who had lived in Durban for nearly two decades.
Mozambique has confirmed that at least seven of its nationals were killed in attacks in Mossel Bay in late May, with about 800 others caught up in the surrounding violence.
Kenya and several other governments have issued travel advisories warning their citizens of the deteriorating security situation.
The HRA said the latest attacks form part of a long‑standing pattern of xenophobic violence in South Africa, including the 2008 nationwide unrest that left more than 60 people dead and displaced around 100,000, the 2015 attacks that prompted military deployment, and the vigilante campaigns of the 2020s associated with groups such as Operation Dudula.
The association called on the government to direct SAPS to prosecute those responsible for violence since April, publicly affirm constitutional protections for all residents, ensure the South African Human Rights Commission can fully monitor the situation, engage with affected governments such as Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and counter online disinformation that it says is fuelling the unrest.
The HRA is an initiative of the WeCare Foundation in Cape Town and works across Africa, South Asia and the Gulf to advocate for individuals facing human rights violations.
JN/APA