In South Africa, several hundred people gathered in downtown Johannesburg on Saturday morning March 26 to express their solidarity with African immigrants. Indeed, since the beginning of 2022, several groups have been organizing rallies in the city and in the townships to denounce the presence of illegal immigrants.
With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Claire Bargeles
A xenophobic fever affects South Africa, encouraged by the unemployment rate which affects a third of the population. But this Saturday, a counter-movement wanted to make the voices of those who support their neighbors on the continent heard.
- At 21, Naomi did not intend to stand idly by, faced with the new wave of xenophobia in her country: “ I think it’s mainly a lack of information that drives us to fight against the wrong people, rather than against those who are really responsible for the destruction of our country. People are frustrated, really, and they think blame should be found, but I don’t think they’re blaming the right people. »
The diverse and cosmopolitan crowd marched through the Hillbrow district, the same streets where, a month earlier, “Operation Dudula” had done the same to demonstrate against the presence of undocumented migrants.
Solidarity Movement
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the country has nearly 4 million foreigners, all status combined.
Janet Munakamwe is from Zimbabwe and she leads a network for the African Diaspora: The system is very bureaucratic and restrictive and it is really difficult for migrants to be regularized in South Africa. Today, I am very touched and impressed that there is this form of solidarity. »
And for Alfred Moyo, president of the “Kopanang Africa” group behind the march, the police cannot stand idly by when groups attack immigrants: “ Because we have laws in South Africa, and anyone can’t improvise “vigilante”and going to people’s homes, asking for their papers, and listing the undocumented, it’s completely unfair and illegal, and we can’t allow this to continue. »
On South African Human Rights Day, President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned these xenophobic acts in a speech, but protesters are now demanding more concrete action.
Nhlanhla Lux Dlamini, head of the “Operation Dudula” movement and who led demonstrations against foreigners at the start of the year, was also arrested on Friday March 25. He is accused of having broken into a house in Soweto, during one of his security operations.
►Also read: Towards foreign worker quotas for certain employment sectors in South Africa ?