Migrants in South Africa fear violence ahead of June 30 deadline | Story

Johannesburg, South Africa – On the southern outskirts of Johannesburg, people gathered on Sunday in the Tembelihle area ahead of a June 30 deadline set by immigration activists for foreign nationals to leave South Africa.

The meeting was organized by the Tembelihle Crisis Committee, a grassroots group that initially opposed xenophobic violence. The leaders of the organization said that the aim is to weaken the citizens of foreign countries because conflicts are growing throughout the country.

About 300 people attended, including Malawian immigrants who are worried about what will happen in the coming days.

The conference revealed deep divisions. Some speakers urged local residents to stay away from foreign nationals, while others blamed immigrants for crime and economic problems. Calls for the tourists to leave South Africa were met with applause and cheers from some members of the public.

By evening when the people had dispersed in the area known as Park Station, it was heard that a Malawian had been stabbed nearby.

It is unclear whether the attack was random or related to anti-immigrant sentiment.

Luke Sinwell, a professor at the University of Johannesburg, told Al Jazeera that efforts to stop the violence were overshadowed by divisions within the conference.

Before the meeting, organizers discussed how to convince people that violence will not end, he said. But at the meeting, there were conflicting views on whether undocumented immigrants should remain in the country.

After the meeting, he heard about the stabbing.

“The way the locals described what happened was interesting,” Sinwell said. “He saw it as a crime of opportunity rather than an xenophobia. However, these things are related.”

Fear and rumour

For Malawians gathered outside their country’s embassy in Johannesburg, the debate over whether what is happening is criminal or xenophobic seems far from over.

Many believe that they are being followed.

The June 30 deadline has become a source of fear among migrants.

A Malawian man who did not want to be named told Al Jazeera that he had to return home or face danger to his family. “I must return home before June 30, otherwise they will kill my family,” he said, referring to residents who, he said, had warned the migrants to leave before Tuesday.

He has been sleeping outside the embassy while investigating transport. With less than 48 hours left, they don’t know what will happen next.

The unofficial deadline was spread through social media and small leaflets that appeared to copy government information. The papers claimed that undocumented foreign nationals with documents had until June 30 to leave South Africa or face arrest, detention and deportation.

The South African government has dismissed the reports as false.

James Macki, a Malawian barber in Johannesburg, told Al Jazeera that he first heard about the deadline from neighbours.

“They said that the blood will come out if we don’t go on June 30,” he said.

He is among thousands of people who are waiting to return home but are still waiting for help. He said: “If we don’t get out, they won’t stop until we all die.”

Encouragement and conflict

One of the immigrant advocacy groups, March and March, says its campaign is targeting government failure for the failure of immigrants, not foreign nationals.

However, incidents of similar enforcement have raised concerns among authorities.

In Mossel Bay, mobilization was followed by the deaths of Mozambican citizens. In Pietermaritzburg, a Malawian was beaten to death following anti-government protests.

On Sunday, the Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, told Al Jazeera that law enforcement agencies were on high alert, police leave had been canceled and additional equipment had been deployed before the riots.

Demonstrations were already taking place in parts of Johannesburg and Durban. In Soweto, people marched, blaming undocumented immigrants for the government’s failure and later handed a petition to Moroka police calling for stricter border enforcement.

A protester in Soweto told Al Jazeera: “The government is more concerned about illegal immigration than we are.”

March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma told local media that the protests were aimed at government policy and rejected claims of xenophobia.

“You can’t call us xenophobic for standing up for what’s right,” he said.

But for refugees who sleep outside embassies and shelters, the line between political messages and personal threats is becoming blurred.

The government’s response is uncertain

Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the cabinet committee on immigration, told Al Jazeera that talks had been held over the weekend following government warnings.

He said the organizers insisted that the march should be peaceful and worried that leaflets were being distributed without their knowledge.

“There’s not one house that says, ‘This is what we’re doing,'” he said.

Statistics South Africa estimates that approximately 2.4 million documented and undocumented people live in the country.

Kubayi said the government is focusing on establishing stability while assisting migrants who want to leave, but added that no refugee or transit camps will be established.

The fear that remains

For Sinwell, the events surrounding the June 30 deadline show how frustration over unemployment, crime and government failure can extend to migrants.

“When communities start dividing people into haves and have-nots, it can be very dangerous,” he said.

He added that the investigation of Operation Dudula showed how legitimate complaints can be directed to migrants and not institutions, a process that he described as a basic democratic tool.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government had received assurances that the planned protests would be peaceful, warning that violence would not be justified under any circumstances.

But in the south of Johannesburg on Monday, less than 24 hours before the deadline, the fear was still there.

“If they don’t go, we will expel them,” said a resident of the country.