Thousands of immigrants have fled South Africa following months of increasingly violent anti-immigration demonstrations, with campaign groups demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country.

The unrest has particularly affected communities in Thembelihle, an informal settlement south of Johannesburg, where Malawian migrants who had lived peacefully alongside South Africans for years say they are now facing targeted attacks.

On June 29, armed men reportedly stormed the home of 60-year-old Malawian resident Eibraheem Hussein, who has lived in South Africa since 2000. The attackers allegedly assaulted him before making away with valuables.

A similar incident occurred on the night of July 16, when at least four Malawian households in Thembelihle were robbed. Victims said five armed men ordered them, in Zulu, to return to their home country.

Growing Tensions Fuel Mass Departures

Since March, South Africa has experienced widespread protests over illegal immigration, some of which have turned deadly.

According to an AFP compilation of official figures, more than 160,000 people from countries including Mozambique, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have left South Africa during the period. Of that number, at least 54,000 were deported, while at least four people have lost their lives.

South Africa has long attracted migrant workers, but immigration increased significantly after Nelson Mandela became the country’s first democratically elected Black president in 1994 and welcomed people from across Africa. Economic hardship and political instability in neighbouring countries also contributed to the rise in migration.

Census data show that South Africa’s foreign-born population nearly tripled from 1996 to 2022, reaching 2.4 million people. That figure represents 3.9 per cent of the country’s estimated 62 million population, compared with 2 per cent in 1996. The government has said it is working to improve immigration records.

Victims Describe Violent Home Invasions

Frustration over unemployment and inequality has increasingly been directed at foreign nationals, with periodic outbreaks of violence over the years.

The latest wave of demonstrations intensified around June 30, an unofficial deadline set by campaign groups for undocumented immigrants to leave the country. Although that date has passed, reports of attacks and forced displacement have continued.

Witnesses said people have been driven from their homes during protests while police allegedly failed to intervene. Criminal gangs have also been accused of exploiting the situation to target immigrants.

One victim, Moosa Addi Kunje, said five men broke into his home at about 9 p.m. on July 16. He said they beat him after he told them he had no money before stealing his refrigerator, television and mobile phone.

“You can see the blood was flying all over here,” Kunje said, pointing to bloodstains on the floor, curtains and walls of his home.

After receiving treatment at a nearby clinic, he returned with stitches on his head, having reportedly been struck with a pistol. His grey tracksuit was stained with dried blood.

Many Unable to Return Home

Kunje’s neighbour, Aisha Muhammed, said the attackers stole 4,000 rand (£180) she had been saving for her journey back to Malawi.

“They said: ‘You are foreigners. You want to go, you must go,’” she recalled.

Two other Malawian households also reported being robbed later that same night by a group of five men. The victims said they now wished to leave South Africa but no longer had the financial means to do so after the attacks.

Last week, thousands of Malawian nationals spent nights sleeping without shelter outside their country’s consulate in an affluent suburb of northern Johannesburg as temperatures dropped below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).