Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa Lead to Reported Fatalities
A South African teenager was also reported killed, with police noting that numerous shacks were set ablaze, some while people were still inside.
Mozambique announced on Tuesday that five of its citizens lost their lives in what it described as “xenophobic attacks” in South Africa over the weekend, and efforts are currently underway to bring hundreds more home.
In contrast, South African police confirmed only two Mozambican nationals had died in the violent events that unfolded in Mossel Bay, a coastal town in the south, marking the first recognized fatalities amid the recent surge in anti-migrant demonstrations.
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A South African teenager was also reported killed, with police noting that numerous shacks were set ablaze, some while people were still inside.
Mounting protests against undocumented migrants in South Africa have prompted Ghana to evacuate around 300 citizens last week, and Nigeria has also announced plans for repatriations.
According to a statement by Mozambique’s government media office on Monday, violence erupted on Friday in Mossel Bay, approximately 380 kilometers (235 miles) from Cape Town, resulting in the deaths of seven Mozambicans. Five were attributed directly to the xenophobic violence, while the other two died in a road accident as they attempted to return home.
South African police, however, stated only two Mozambican citizens, ages 27 and 43, were killed by multiple assault wounds in Mossel Bay’s informal settlement.
In a related incident, the body of an 18-year-old South African was discovered stabbed to death in unclear circumstances early Sunday, police reported.
Dirk Kotze, Mayor of Mossel Bay, expressed his “deep concern and dismay at the current xenophobic attacks where people have been murdered, houses burned, and families displaced” over the weekend.
‘We are not safe’
As Africa’s most industrialized nation, South Africa attracts both legal and undocumented migrants, who are sometimes accused by fringe groups of contributing to crime and taking jobs from locals.
The national broadcaster SABC reported tensions in Mossel Bay increased amid allegations that construction companies were employing undocumented workers.
Local media noted that approximately 55 shacks were set on fire. Mozambican national Dolinda Mabunda told the Mossel Bay Advertiser, “We were still inside when people started burning down our house,” she recounted. “I just took what I could and ran.”
Silvino Chauque, another migrant, told SABC he intended to return home, having lost all his possessions in the upheaval. “I will go back (home) because we are not safe,” he stated.
Mozambique’s government reported that 300 of its citizens had returned home on Saturday. “The remaining 500 have been sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape Province, and as of June 1, the process of their repatriation to Mozambique is already underway,” the statement said.
June 30 ‘order’
A demand by a local organization for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa by June 30 has sparked reports of vigilante groups checking the documentation of foreign nationals and forcing non-South African-run businesses to close. These actions lack official support and have drawn criticism from authorities.
In the eastern port city of Durban last month, several hundred foreign nationals from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Somalia sought safety, reporting local efforts urging them to leave by month’s end.
Other countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe, have advised their citizens in South Africa to remain vigilant.
South Africa has experienced repeated waves of xenophobic violence over the years, with the latest eruption coinciding with political efforts to gain support ahead of local government elections slated for November.
In a tragic historical comparison, 62 people, including 21 South Africans, were killed in 2008 anti-immigrant riots, displacing thousands. Further incidents recurred in 2015 and 2016.
