South Africa’s government has pledged a robust security response to mounting anti-migrant tensions, as citizen-led groups threaten nationwide marches and issue an unofficial deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing lawmakers, warned that authorities would not allow the country to be destabilised under the guise of protest. He said security forces had been placed on high alert and would act decisively against anyone who incites or carries out violence targeting foreign nationals.

Grassroots organisations have called for marches against what they describe as illegal immigration, setting a symbolic cut-off date for undocumented migrants to depart. The rhetoric has raised fears of a new wave of xenophobic attacks in a country scarred by previous outbreaks of deadly violence against African migrants and other foreign nationals.

Police have announced reinforced deployments in major urban centres, including Johannesburg and Durban, where tensions have been particularly acute. Government officials have also engaged traditional leaders, notably the Zulu Royal House, in an effort to calm communities and discourage participation in vigilante-style actions.

Recent unrest has already claimed several lives, according to official figures, while Mozambican authorities report additional deaths among their citizens. Aid agencies warn of a deepening humanitarian crisis as makeshift camps spring up around transport hubs, sheltering thousands of migrants from countries such as Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Nigeria who are seeking repatriation.

South Africa, one of the continent’s most industrialised economies, has long drawn migrants in search of work and safety. Yet with domestic unemployment hovering around 32 percent, competition for jobs and services has fuelled resentment. Some local residents accuse foreign nationals of driving crime and undercutting wages, claims that researchers and rights groups say are often exaggerated or unfounded.

Ramaphosa and major labour unions insist migrants are being scapegoated for structural economic failures, including inequality, sluggish growth and corruption. Nonetheless, several political figures have amplified anti-migrant sentiment, using it to rally support ahead of local elections and positioning themselves as defenders of South African workers.

Memories of past bloodshed remain vivid. In 2008, xenophobic riots left 62 people dead, while violence in 2019 saw armed mobs attack foreign-owned businesses around Johannesburg, killing at least 12 people. Authorities say they are determined to prevent a repeat, insisting that the coming marches must not become a pretext for intimidation or bloodshed.