South Africa revives signs of xenophobia against African migrants residing in the country.
African immigrants and refugees are suffering a new wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, especially in the provinces of Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and Kwazulu-Natal. Operation Dudula (‘expel’, in Zulu), launched in Soweto in 2021 with the aim of fighting irregular immigration, crime and competition in the labor market, has been accused of fomenting episodes of violence and spreading hate speech against foreigners. Its current leader, Zandile Dabula, points to the arrival of other Africans in the country as the cause of the increase in crime and drug trafficking, in addition to considering that it affects the job opportunities of South Africans, some of whom consider that it would be preferable for the immigrants to return to their countries of origin.
This new xenophobic tension post-apartheid has sparked criticism across the continent. Even UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern about growing hostility towards foreigners in Africa’s most industrialized country. Ghana, Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau have called the South African ambassadors in their countries for consultations, while Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others, have issued security alerts for their nationals residing in Mzansi, the informal name by which South Africa is known.
Although the spokesperson for the South African Presidency, Vincent Magwenya, has rejected the xenophobic accusations, numerous viral videos on social networks and the media have shown groups of people in the street berating and beating alleged African immigrants. Zimbabwean Siyayi Chinemhute, who lives in South Africa, told Reuters what he experienced in Soweto, where he lives with his family: “Members of Operation Dudula, some armed with guns and sticks, took over the center of Soweto, banging on doors and shouting in the local language. mabahambe‘let them go’.
The failure of public policies helps explain the loss of the values planted by the Nobel Peace Prize winner and the country’s first black president, Nelson Mandela. The South African research institute Human Sciences Research Council reveals that “the proportion of adults who do not accept any immigrants in the province of Kwazulu-Natal rose from 23% in 2021 to 60% in 2025,” says Steven Gordon, head of the institute, in statements collected by The Conversation. However, not everyone agrees with the survey results. In a telephone conversation with MUNDO NEGRO, Thabisile Zondi, a South African resident in Kwazulu-Natal, shares her opinion on the arrival of other Africans to the country in search of better living conditions: “There is no problem with our brothers and sisters being here, as long as they have the permits and documentation in order, without fraud.”
The recurring xenophobic tensions in South Africa must force a deeper examination that includes a reflection on corruption, inequality, youth unemployment and the failure of African public policies.
In the image, a group of protesters chant slogans during a protest march against undocumented immigrants called in the town of Estcourt on April 24, 2026. One of them is wearing a t-shirt that reads Mabahambe (‘let them go’). Photography: Rajesh Jantilal/Getty
