Johannesburg – Several African countries, among them Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, have issued warnings to their nationals living in South Africa to exercise caution and stay indoors following a fresh wave of attacks targeting foreign nationals across the country.
The alerts come as South Africa experiences a surge of protests against illegal immigration, with the demonstrations at times turning violent against migrants from sub-Saharan African countries. South Africa holds the largest economy on the continent and is home to a significant migrant population from across the region.
Migrant rights groups say foreigners are being scapegoated by South Africans who blame them for the country’s economic difficulties, particularly high unemployment which sits at over 30% and disproportionately affects the Black population. 
Ghana took a step further than issuing warnings, writing to the African Union to take up the matter formally. On Wednesday, Accra said it had facilitated the safe return of a Ghanaian citizen who was seen being targeted in a video that went viral on social media. The footage showed the man being harassed by a crowd who demanded to see his papers before questioning their authenticity. “We don’t want you here,” one woman is heard saying in the clip.
Nigeria also confirmed it was repatriating at least 130 of its citizens following the deaths of two Nigerians in the violence.
At a diplomatic level, Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo met South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday and called for calm.
South Africa’s government has condemned the violence while also expressing sympathy for its citizens’ frustration over illegal immigration. “South Africans are within their right to protest against the spiralling illegal immigration challenge, but violence linked to those protests is not acceptable and law enforcement must deal with the instigators of such violence,” a cabinet statement issued on Thursday read.
Xenophobic attacks have flared up periodically in South Africa over the years. The vigilante group Operation Dudula has led repeated campaigns against undocumented migrants, including blocking them from entering public health facilities.
According to a report by the national statistics agency Stats SA, South Africa’s immigrant population has grown steadily, rising from 2% of the total population in 1996 to 4% in 2022, with most migrants coming from within the Southern African Development Community region.
