By Our Correspondent
National News – South African authorities on Thursday evacuated about 400 foreign nationals from a church shelter in Durban after rising anti-migrant threats forced many to seek protection.
The migrants, including women and children from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Somalia, were moved under police escort to a government refugee facility.
The operation followed days of tension triggered by anti-immigrant groups demanding undocumented foreigners leave communities before June 30.
The evacuation highlighted growing xenophobic tensions in South Africa ahead of local government elections scheduled for later this year.
Police officers loaded migrants into buses outside the Diakonia Centre in Durban while anti-immigrant demonstrators gathered nearby chanting against undocumented foreigners.
Some migrants displayed valid identity documents through bus windows to prove they were legally residing in the country.
According to reports, several foreign nationals said they fled their homes after local groups moved door-to-door threatening undocumented migrants.
Although the ultimatum has no legal authority, many residents feared violence due to South Africa’s history of xenophobic attacks.
During the operation, police intervened after a brief scuffle involving one migrant attempting to escape the evacuation process.
Anti-immigrant activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of the March and March movement, said her group opposed violence but insisted undocumented migrants should leave South Africa.
Analysts, however, argue that foreigners are often unfairly blamed for unemployment, crime and economic hardship facing local citizens.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian government announced plans to evacuate more than 800 of its citizens from South Africa after outrage over a viral video allegedly showing a Ghanaian man being assaulted.
South Africa has experienced repeated outbreaks of anti-foreigner violence since 2008, with similar incidents recorded in 2015 and 2021.
One migrant, Robert Ikobia from the DRC, said he fled war as a child but continues to face attacks in South Africa despite possessing legal documents to stay in the country.
