Anti-immigrant groups in South Africa have carried out door-to-door searches in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, forcing suspected undocumented migrants out of their homes and handing some of them over to police. Reuters reporters at the scene witnessed protesters breaking down doors and entering houses where they believed undocumented foreigners were staying.
The raids followed the expiration of a June 30 deadline issued by anti-immigration groups demanding that undocumented migrants leave South Africa. During the operation, some people taken to police vehicles insisted they were in the country legally, including a Zimbabwean man who said he held a valid Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP). Similar anti-immigration marches were also reported in Soweto.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the actions, stressing that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies and warning citizens against taking the law into their own hands. Authorities have expressed concern that the vigilante-style raids could fuel fear and violence in affected communities.
The incident comes amid growing anti-immigration protests across South Africa, driven by concerns over unemployment, crime and illegal immigration, although experts have cautioned against blaming migrants for the country’s economic challenges.
