It was a harrowing sight that belongs neither in a constitutional democracy nor on the African continent. Nearly 500 foreign nationals, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and Ethiopia, huddled behind the gates of the Diakonia Centre in Durban this week. They were not seeking economic opportunity. They were fleeing for their lives.
Their crime? Being foreign in a climate where vigilante groups have assumed the powers of the state.
The self-styled civic group March and March, alongside Operation Dudula, has issued a chilling ultimatum: all undocumented foreigners must leave South
Africa by June 30.
When groups such as March and March take to the streets armed with sjamboks and political rhetoric, they cross the line from activism into intimidation. We condemn this vigilantism without reservation.
The rise of March and March is a predictable and tragic consequence of the ANC government’s catastrophic failure to manage sovereignty. South Africa has some of the most progressive immigration laws on the continent, yet it has shown a total lack of will to enforce them.
Why do vigilantes feel empowered? Because for years, the Department of Home Affairs has been a dysfunctional mess, plagued by corruption, fraudulent documentation syndicates and porous borders. The Department of Employment and Labour has failed to conduct meaningful inspections, allowing unscrupulous employers to exploit undocumented migrants with wages below the legal minimum. When the state refuses to enforce labour laws, it creates a race to the bottom that pits the poorest South African against the poorest migrant.
The International Trade Union Confederation Africa noted, “We are witnessing the displacement of millions due to inequality, austerity, insecurity and governance failure.”
Why is a family from Goma in the DRC walking hundreds of miles to Johannesburg? Because armed militias burned their village.
The ultimatum issued by March and March is not just xenophobic, it is naive.
Yes, deportations must happen, but until the African Union treats governance, security and economic development as an urgent crisis, the rivers of human displacement will not stop flowing.
First, the government in Pretoria must wake up. It must enforce its own labour laws. It must clear the backlog at Home Affairs and secure the borders.
The state must rein in the violence and take back law enforcement from the vigilantes. If South Africans see the state acting the anger will subside.
Second, South Africa cannot be the “refugee camp”. We need a proactive foreign policy that pressures failing states to reform and supports peacekeeping missions that actually stabilise regions.
To the vigilantes of Durban: Your anger is misplaced. You are fighting the desperate victim while ignoring the corrupt system and the failing states that create the chaos. To the government: Your silence is complicity. Act now, enforce the law or watch the mob rule.
- Nearly 500 foreign nationals, mainly from DRC, Burundi, and Ethiopia, are fleeing violence and seeking refuge in Durban, South Africa, amid a hostile climate fueled by vigilante groups like March and March and Operation Dudula.
- These groups have issued an ultimatum demanding all undocumented foreigners leave South Africa by June 30, resorting to intimidation and violence, reflecting a failure of the state to maintain law and order.
- The rise of such vigilantism stems from the South African government's failure to enforce immigration laws, combat corruption in the Department of Home Affairs, secure borders, and uphold labor laws against exploitation of migrants.
- The article calls for urgent action by the South African government to enforce labor and immigration laws, address humanitarian displacement causes, and reclaim law enforcement from vigilantes to reduce xenophobic violence.
- It advocates for a proactive foreign policy to stabilize failing neighboring states, emphasizing that deportations alone won’t stop displacement without regional governance and security reforms.
It was a harrowing sight that belongs neither in a constitutional democracy nor on the African continent. Nearly 500 foreign nationals, mostly from the Democratic Republic of
Africa by June 30.
When groups such as March and March take to the streets armed with sjamboks and political rhetoric, they cross the line from activism into intimidation. We condemn this vigilantism without reservation.
Why do vigilantes feel empowered? Because for years, the Department of Home Affairs has been a dysfunctional mess, plagued by corruption, fraudulent documentation syndicates and porous borders.
Why is a family from Goma in the DRC walking hundreds of miles to Johannesburg? Because armed militias burned their village.
Yes, deportations must happen, but until the African Union treats governance, security and economic development as an urgent crisis, the rivers of human displacement will not stop flowing.
First, the government in Pretoria must wake up. It must enforce its own labour laws. It must clear the backlog at Home Affairs and secure the borders.
To the vigilantes of Durban: Your anger is misplaced. You are fighting the desperate victim while ignoring the corrupt system and the failing states that create the chaos. To the government: Your silence is complicity. Act now, enforce the law or watch the mob rule.
