South Africa Anti-Immigrant Protests: 900+ Arrests Next?

While South Africa faces the repercussions of nation-wide anti-immigrant protests that resulted in over 900 arrests, violent confrontations and discussion about the migration policy, the majority of the protests remained peaceful while some of the marchers got into violent conflicts, looted stores and fired shots.

South Africa anti-immigrant protests, The marches in the country organized by the coalition of over 20 non-governmental organizations became a way to set an unofficial deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country. And now the arrests need to be processed and protest organizers promise another round of demonstrations.

Over 900 Arrested During Protests in South Africa

Over 900 arrests have been made during the nation-wide protests in South Africa according to the authorities’ data.

Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili reported that police had monitored about 120 protest marches where only 108 of them passed peacefully. But police were forced to take action against 12 protests that turned violent.

The arrests were associated with various crimes, such as:

Public violence
Robbery and looting
Destruction of property
Immigration-related offences

The highest number of arrests occurred in the Western Cape province, which saw 215 arrests, while the second highest number of arrests took place in the Eastern Cape province, where 208 individuals were arrested.

President Ramaphosa Asks for Calm

Prior to the protests, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an emergency meeting with the protesters in order to alleviate tensions.

In the statement released by the presidency, Ramaphosa recognized that there are genuine fears among South Africans regarding illegal immigration, immigration management, employment and strain on public services.

However, the President pointed out that such concerns should not be used as an excuse for illegal actions.

The President stated that vigilantism does not belong in South Africa’s constitutional democracy, and that the enforcement of immigration law is a matter of state institutions, rather than individual citizens.

Violence Erupted in Some Communities

Even though most of the protests did not turn violent, several areas experienced incidents.

Johannesburg

One person died after violence erupted during the looting of foreign-owned spaza shops in the Alexandra Township.

Similarly, police intervened following unrest in the Hillbrow area of Johannesburg after two individuals were shot and injured, among them a 17-year-old individual. Soldiers had been called in to assist police in bringing order.

Durban

Several thousand protestors took to the streets of Durban carrying slogans against immigration, urging the government to tighten border control.

Despite the orderly nature of the protest, there were clear indications of rising anger over immigration issues.

South Africa anti-immigrant protests Planned for Every Week

It does not look like the end of the anti-immigrant movement any time soon.

Organizer of the march and March Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma said that weekly demonstrations would continue every Thursday until the government takes more stringent measures regarding border control and undocumented migration.

Weekly protests can keep immigration at the center of political debate in South Africa for several months to come.

Human Rights Organizations Raise Concerns

A number of human rights organizations have expressed concerns about the protests.

AI South Africa said that foreign nationals are being accused of playing a major role in other socio-economic problems including high unemployment rates, weak economic growth, crime, and the backlogs in the country’s asylum process.

The rights organizations had appealed to the government to manage the immigration process better while keeping the migrants in the country safe and secure.

What Happens Next?

The law enforcement agencies are supposed to investigate the criminal activities related to the protests while the courts begin dealing with the arrests.

On the other hand, government officials are under increasing pressure to improve border control, increase immigration processing, and handle public anger without provoking more xenophobic violence.

As organizers have planned to stage more protests, and security agencies are on high alert, South Africa’s immigration issue is definitely going to be a major issue in the coming weeks.