The Shadow Over South Africa’s 30 June Deadline

South Africa faces immense anxiety over the Tuesday, 30 June, anti-immigrant shutdown deadline. While the state has deployed a 600-million-rand security force to prevent chaos, severe anti-foreigner violence has already erupted.

In informal sectors, night raids and street beatings have forced thousands of migrants to escape into makeshift camps with nothing. Describing the terrifying nocturnal attacks, returnee Idrissah Akilemu stated, “I realised this was war, not a demonstration, because demonstrations happen during the day. These people were attacking us at night.”

Economic despair, catastrophic unemployment, and state corruption are being exploited to scapegoat vulnerable foreign nationals. Investigative findings reveal that the leading anti-immigrant group, March and March, is closely linked to networks surrounding former President Jacob Zuma and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party.

The movement draws a diverse database of local supporters who have leaked names and addresses of foreign nationals, with some declaring that the “July unrest is the only tool we can use to change this situation”.

While progressive coalitions like the Siyafana Sonke Action Campaign are mobilising to defend constitutional equality and reject ethnic nationalism, immigrant communities remain gripped by terror as the deadline arrives.

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