Friday June 19, 2026
Johannesburg (AX) — Alarm is mounting among Somalis in South Africa as anti-immigrant campaigns and street protests gather pace, with some groups demanding that undocumented foreigners leave the country.
Abdullahi Moalim Hogsade, a Somali rights activist in South Africa, said Thursday that unease has spread across the Somali community, especially among those without valid residency permits.
He said the anxiety has not been limited to undocumented migrants, adding that even Somalis with legal papers have felt the weight of the wider atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.
“Some Somalis have returned to Somalia, while others remain in South Africa worried about what could happen when a deadline for undocumented immigrants expires,” he noted.
He said Somali-owned shops and businesses have also come under scrutiny, with government officials visiting premises to check registration documents and verify whether operations are legal.
According to Hogsade, those inspections have hit Somali livelihoods and commercial activity hard.
He said he anticipates more government action as political pressure builds ahead of local government elections later this year.
The concern comes as anti-immigrant groups step up their campaigns against foreign nationals. President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans not to direct frustration over the economy at vulnerable communities.
Somali traders and migrants have for years faced insecurity in parts of South Africa, where xenophobic attacks and violence tied to business disputes have periodically targeted foreign-owned shops.
