JOHANNESBURG — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a stern, eleventh-hour warning to anti-immigrant activist groups, declaring that any protests must be conducted entirely free of “intimidation, threats, or ultimatums.”
The President’s intervention comes on the eve of a highly volatile, unofficial June 30 deadline manufactured by vigilariate groups demanding that all undocumented foreign nationals flee the country or face forced removal.
A Mass Exodus Driven by Fear
The threat of impending violence has already triggered a quiet humanitarian crisis across South Africa’s major economic hubs. Fearing a repeat of historical xenophobic pogroms, several thousand citizens from neighboring African countries including Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique have packed up their livelihoods and fled the country in recent weeks.
Local consulates in Johannesburg have been overwhelmed by families desperately seeking emergency repatriation assistance.
“I am happy to be going back, but I am heartbroken to be leaving behind four young children.”
An undocumented Malawian national, speaking to the BBC ahead of his departure
The President’s Constitutional Stance
In his weekly presidential newsletter, Ramaphosa sought to cool rising tempers, walking a delicate line between acknowledging the public’s frustration over immigration backlogs and upholding the rule of law.
He firmly reminded the public that a massive portion of the migrant community resides in South Africa legally, contributing heavily to the national fabric.