JOHANNESBURG — Community members and activists gathered on Sunday in the informal settlement of Tembelihle, on the southern outskirts of Johannesburg, in a tense race against time. The urgent meeting comes ahead of a self-imposed June 30 deadline issued by anti-immigrant groups demanding that all foreign nationals leave South Africa.
Organized by the Tembelihle Crisis Committee, a local grassroots movement known for its historical stance against xenophobic attacks, the gathering aimed to diffuse building animosity and prevent potential outbreaks of violence.
A Defiant Push for Peace
As anxiety spreads across the country’s vulnerable informal settlements, committee leaders are actively engaging with residents to foster unity rather than division. The group’s leadership emphasized that the meeting’s primary objective was to discourage local participation in the upcoming anti-immigrant demonstrations and shield foreign neighbors from harm.
“The aim is to discourage attacks on foreign nationals as tensions rise across the country.”
Tembelihle Crisis Committee Leadership