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- About 2,000 South African people demonstrated against illegal migrant workers in Hillbrow, near Cape Town
- There is a strong resentment brewing against certain pockets in South Africa against migrant workers
- The trigger seems to be widespread unemployment among the local people
- With unemployment at 35 percent (65 percent among youth) competition for jobs caused resentment among some jobless South Africans. Attacks against foreigners left at least 62 people dead in 2008.
About 2,000 South African people demonstrated against illegal migrant workers in Hillbrow, near Cape Town. There is a strong resentment brewing against certain pockets in South Africa against migrant workers. The trigger seems to be widespread unemployment among the local people.
With unemployment at 35 percent (65 percent among youth) competition for jobs caused resentment among some jobless South Africans. Attacks against foreigners left at least 62 people dead in 2008. The mob outcry was also repeated in 2019 resulting in death of at least 12 people. Another seven were killed in similar unrest in 2015. Armed mobs looted foreign-owned businesses around the financial hub Johannesburg in 2019.
In recent weeks, scores of protesters have been staging demonstrations against undocumented migrants. These demonstrations are dubbed as Operation Dudula, Zulu for “drive back”.
Around 3.9 million foreigners live in South Africa, a country of almost 60 million, including political refugees. Human Rights Watch says foreigners are often made scapegoats in a country with one of the world’s most unequal societies. The authorities were closely watching “pockets of groupings that are trying to foment a type of negative attitudes towards foreigners.
