South Africa: South Africa's Anti-Migrant Campaigns Use the Language of Democracy - Why That's Dangerous

Anti-migrant campaigns in South Africa are increasingly being framed as acts of community protection. Protesters present their efforts as a response to community concerns about crime, unemployment and failing public services.

Leaders of these campaigns claim that weak border controls, ineffective immigration enforcement and undocumented migrants have contributed to deteriorating living conditions in many communities.

These campaigns are framed as "clean-ups", "community protection" or removing "illegal foreigners". But this is using democratic language to justify othering. It can legitimise the exclusion of migrants by casting them as outsiders, which could increase the probability of violence.

In 2024, the March and March group emerged in Durban. It led "clean up" campaigns to rid the city - and the country - of "illegal foreigners".

Under these campaigns, vigilantism peaked. Protesters made citizens' arrests of street vendors suspected of being undocumented. They shut down businesses owned by suspected "foreigners".

Now, the group has set 30 June 2026 as a deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. And as the date approaches, anti-migrant mobilisation is intensifying across the country.

Groups are taking advantage of increased socioeconomic hardships. But instead of linking these to deeper structural causes, such as inequality, poor governance and economic stagnation, frustration is being directed towards the 3 million migrants in South Africa (about 5% of the population).

We have spent many years as researchers and activists involved in grassroots politics, social movements and popular struggles in South Africa. Our work has included extensive research on anti-migrant mobilisation, including the recurring episodes of xenophobic violence and exclusion that have shaped South African politics since the mid-2000s.

Drawing on our findings, we argue that the leaders of the current wave of anti-immigrant activity have the same playbook as previous campaigners. They use the language of community protection, active citizenship and people's power to turn social and economic frustrations into campaigns against migrants.

But the line between "community protection" and organised exclusion is extremely thin. When ideas such as citizenship, safety and accountability are used to draw that line, they can make exclusion appear legitimate while weakening everyday security for everyone.

The danger is that daily life becomes organised around constant boundary-making. This means belonging is closely policed and violence can become a means of enforc