Scores of African migrants have fled their homes and sought refuge in community shelters and remote mountain areas as a wave of anti-immigrant violence spreads across parts of South Africa’s Western Cape province, raising concerns about the safety of foreign nationals.
The latest unrest has forced migrants from countries including Mozambique and Malawi to abandon homes and businesses amid threats, intimidation and attacks by groups demanding that foreigners leave local communities.
In the coastal town of Kleinmond, around 300 kilometres southeast of Cape Town, more than 100 migrants were sheltering in a municipal hall after fleeing their homes in recent days.
Among them was 49-year-old Mozambican national Lado Amido, who said a group of residents arrived at his home and ordered foreign nationals to leave the area.
“People came to my house, knocked on the door, and then took all my belongings,” Amido said.
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After fleeing, he spent two nights hiding in nearby mountains before moving to the temporary shelter.
The violence comes amid a broader resurgence of xenophobic sentiment in South Africa, where migrants are frequently blamed for unemployment, crime and pressure on public services despite a lack of evidence linking immigration to many of the country’s economic challenges.
Mozambique’s government said five of its citizens were killed in xenophobic attacks in the town of Mossel Bay over the weekend, underscoring growing concerns over the escalation of violence.
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South Africa has experienced periodic outbreaks of anti-immigrant violence over the past two decades, with attacks often targeting migrants from other African countries who work in informal trade, agriculture, hospitality and low-income sectors.
Political tensions surrounding migration have intensified ahead of local government elections scheduled later this year, with immigration increasingly becoming a topic of public debate.
President Cyril Ramaphosa this week acknowledged concerns about migration while condemning attacks against foreign nationals.
“As we work to build a safer and more prosperous society, we need to address the challenge of migration,” Ramaphosa told parliament.
Local officials in affected communities have expressed concern over residents taking enforcement into their own hands.
Grant Cohen, a ward councillor in Kleinmond, said immigration authorities had recently conducted inspections of businesses in the area to identify undocumented workers.
However, he noted that many of the migrants now seeking shelter were legally resident in South Africa.
“We’ve got kids here at the moment who should be in school,” Cohen said, referring to children displaced by the unrest.
“Now they want to flee the country out of fear and intimidation.”
Humanitarian concerns are mounting as displaced migrants seek assistance from their embassies and governments to return home.
Some have joined voluntary repatriation programmes organised by their countries of origin.
Among them is 31-year-old Malawian migrant Michael Markson, who said he fled his settlement after being warned by his landlord that protesters were targeting foreigners.
“My landlord came telling me that I should evacuate because if they find us, they’re going to kill us,” he said.
Markson spent a night hiding in the mountains and survived with the help of friends and local contacts who provided food while he remained in hiding.
He said he witnessed crowds carrying knives and sticks moving through the town during the unrest.
Unable to afford the cost of returning home, he is now waiting for assistance from authorities.
Although he described economic opportunities in Malawi as limited, he said returning home felt safer than remaining in an environment where his life was at risk.
“In our country there’s no good economy,” he said. “But it’s better than living in a community where your life is under threat.”
Analysts warn that unless economic frustrations, unemployment and social tensions are addressed, xenophobic violence could continue to resurface, placing vulnerable migrant communities at risk and undermining South Africa’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading destinations for regional migration and economic opportunity.
