Xenophobia has once again stained the streets of South Africa with blood. In recent weeks, a wave of violence against African immigrants sparked panic in several cities, triggering mass repatriations and a humanitarian crisis that has already displaced hundreds. At Oliver Reginald Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, a heartbreaking scene unfolded: three hundred Ghanaians, including women and children, lined up to board a flight back to Accra. They had spent years working on South African soil, many running small informal businesses, but now they fled the fury of groups accusing them of stealing jobs and collapsing public services.
The Nigerian government also reported that at least 130 citizens requested repatriation. The fuse was lit between late April and early May, when the March and March movement, backed by Operation Dudula and sectors of parties like ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance, launched protests demanding mass deportations. Incendiary speeches blamed foreigners for unemployment, overburdened hospitals and schools, and crime. But the reality is different: migrants make up only 4% of South Africa’s population, while over 43% of the working-age population is unemployed or has stopped looking for work, according to Human Rights Watch.
Mozambique also felt the blow. In early May, immigrant workers tried to block the Ressano García route, the main connection between Maputo and Gauteng, in response to the violence. Although the blockade did not materialize, it caused long queues and mobilized police forces from both countries. Maputo authorities confirmed that thousands of Mozambicans have already returned amid the climate of insecurity. The Mozambican community in South Africa numbers about 300,000 citizens, many linked to mining for over a century.
Malawi is not spared either. More than 200 Malawians expressed their intention to return home, reviving the tragic memory of Grace Manda, a migrant worker whose one-year-old son died in 2025. Grace tried to take the child, who was suffering from diarrhea and vomiting, to Alexandra Hospital, but members of Operation Dudula barred her entry because she was a foreigner. They told her she had to go to a private clinic. Other clinics refused to treat her for fear of the group’s violent inspections. Unable to afford private services, the child died.
Somalis, about 70,000 in the country since the 1990s, are regular targets of looting and attacks. They established themselves as small traders in the townships, and their shops are systematically destroyed. Somali community organizations have recorded dozens of murders and hundreds of attacks. In the 2008 massacre, which left 62 dead, at least three Somalis were among the victims, and hundreds of shops were razed.
Zimbabweans, however, are the main target. Their migration is constitutive of South Africa’s social landscape. In April, the Zimbabwean consulate in Cape Town assisted 67 citizens and 21 children expelled from their homes in East London after actions by vigilante groups. Traders report forced closures. The attacks of 2008, 2015 and 2019, and now those of Operation Dudula and March and March, direct their hatred especially against them.
Behind this wave of violence is not a spontaneous reaction but political manipulation. The African National Congress (ANC) governs in coalition with right-wing parties like the Democratic Alliance and the Patriotic Alliance. Different political actors compete for popular support by blaming migrants. Operation Dudula, whose name in Zulu means «push out» or «expel,» emerged in Soweto in 2021 as a paramilitary vigilante campaign. They conduct patrols, demand documents, raid businesses, and expel immigrants. Over time they expanded to several provinces and today even participate in elections.
Afrophobia is an alarming symptom of South African capitalism’s inability to meet democratic and national liberation demands. During the 20th century, millions of Africans stood in solidarity with the anti-apartheid struggle. Decades later, the ANC’s unfulfilled promises have created a breeding ground for hatred. Meanwhile, thousands continue to flee, leaving behind their lives, their dreams, and in some cases, their dead.
che pero estos negros de mierda se creen que pueden venir a vivir de arriba en sudafrica para mi la xenofobia es una respuesta natural cuando invaden tu pais operacion dudula hace lo que el estado no se anima limpiar la villa que se vayan todos a su tierra aca no hay lugar pa parasitos viva la raza sudafricana
Para mí esto es una traición asquerosa. Los mismos que predican panafricanismo son los primeros en cagar a sus hermanos. Operación Dudula huele a financiamiento de blancos de mierda para dividirnos. Unidad africana o muerte, carajo. No nos van a parar.