March and March
In the news
The Constitution has the last word – for now
As anti-immigration protests clash with Constitutional Court decisions on asylum seeker rights, South Africa faces a growing dilemma between majority public demand and the…
EThekwini mayor on the firing line as anti illegal immigrants threaten bloodshed
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba had to be evacuated by police after angry anti-immigrant demonstrators confronted him during an attempt to diffuse escalating tensions in Berea, Durban.
UN committee urges South Africa to dismantle racist vigilante groups
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has called on South Africa to dismantle racist vigilante groups amid rising xenophobic violence, migrant killings,…
Salif Keita cancels SA performance in response to xenophobic violence
Acclaimed Malian musician Salif Keita has announced the cancellation of all future South African performances in protest against recent waves of xenophobic violence across the…
A new politics for Tshwane
This article critically examines the populist governance style in Tshwane, South Africa, contrasting it with the social democratic politics exemplified by Zohran Mamdani in New…
Africa's great untapped wealth
South Africa's debate on undocumented migration often focuses on border control and job competition. This article argues that migration is a symptom of deeper issues,…
South Africa’s migration crisis: hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil
For decades, Black South Africans and African foreign nationals have built communities together, a historical reality that challenges narratives of inherent xenophobia. However,…
The country that forgot its own lesson: Xenophobia, memory and the pass book that never quite left
A powerful analysis of South Africa's deepening xenophobia, drawing parallels between current anti-migrant movements and the country's apartheid past. It explores how economic…
Testing the will of the people: The state-citizen confrontation in South Africa
The rise of anti-illegal immigration movements like Operation Dudula and March and March signals a critical moment for South African democracy, highlighting deep-seated…
Are we proud of a nation where foreigners live in fear?
Hundreds of African refugees and asylum seekers are camped outside Durban's Refugee Reception Centre, living in fear of xenophobic attacks and a looming 'deadline'. This report…
Mashaba plans special unit to arrest illegal immigrants
ActionSA president and Johannesburg mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba has pledged to establish a dedicated police unit to arrest undocumented foreign nationals in the city if…
A broken home looking for a villain to blame
As many marched to demand the removal of undocumented migrants from South Africa, the message was clear: migrants must go. But this article argues that the anger is misdirected,…
Unite, from Soweto to the Sahara
South Africans are protesting unemployment, poor services, and crime, but their anger is misdirected. This article argues that African immigrants are not the enemy; the real…
South Africa’s crisis of state authority and when citizens begin deporting people
South Africa is grappling with a crisis that extends beyond immigration, questioning the very essence of governance. Anti-immigration groups like Operation Dudula and March and…
Around 1 700 Malawian foreign nationals fleeing angry mob shelter in unsafe building
Terrified foreign nationals in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, have occupied an abandoned government building to escape anti-immigrant mobs, following the fatal beating of a…