A wave of anti-migrant violence across South Africa has killed at least 11 Mozambicans and driven tens of thousands of foreign nationals home since protests erupted in late May. On Thursday, activists in Johannesburg went door-to-door searching for undocumented migrants and handed them to police, while two more Mozambicans were killed in an armed attack in Germiston on July 7.
More than 38,000 Malawians and 60,000 Zimbabweans have returned home, alongside over 100 Zambians. Nigeria and Ghana have denounced the killings of their citizens, and Doctors Without Borders warned of growing humanitarian needs as displaced people lose access to healthcare.
President Cyril Ramaphosa warned protesters against taking the law into their own hands and insisted South Africans are not inherently xenophobic. The International Organization for Migration called for de-escalation, as South Africa faces its worst anti-foreigner unrest since recurring outbreaks began in 2008.