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• Tens of thousands of foreign nationals have self-deported from South Africa following a 30 June 2026 deadline set by the March and March group.
• Migrants remaining in South Africa report increased insecurity, fear, and reduced access to services and livelihoods, with instances of street stops, extortion, and denial of healthcare.
• Asylum seekers attempting to repatriate face bureaucratic hurdles, including the need to cancel protection applications and reports of bank accounts being frozen by the Department of Home Affairs.
• By early September, 129,000 Zimbabweans and over 56,000 Malawians had voluntarily returned to their home countries.
• A new project, XenoBarometer, has launched to track the anti-immigrant movement and its impact on migrant communities and politics in South Africa.

Many foreign nationals – documented and undocumented – have opted to stay and weather an increasingly insecure future in South Africa.

Foreign nationals residing in South Africa, both documented and undocumented, are experiencing a growing sense of insecurity and fear following a 30 June 2026 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country, announced by the group March and March. While tens of thousands have voluntarily repatriated, many have chosen to remain, navigating an increasingly precarious future within South Africa.

Reports from various community leaders and activists highlight the daily challenges faced by these communities. In Johannesburg's Marshalltown, immigrants are frequently stopped by citizens associated with the anti-immigrant movement and asked for documentation, with some vigilantes reportedly extorting money. Documented immigrants in Durban, who were displaced from informal trading sites, have been unable to resume their work, and access to public healthcare facilities has been denied to immigrants since June of the previous year. In Tshwane, many migrants are maintaining a low profile to avoid attracting attention from authorities, while in Bellville, numerous individuals have lost their employment and businesses, leading to difficulties in affording rent and basic living expenses.

The challenges for foreign nationals are compounded by actions from government departments that appear to align with or even advance the anti-immigrant agenda. Asylum seekers who wish to voluntarily return to their home countries face significant bureaucratic obstacles. The Border Management Authority is likely to prevent asylum seekers from exiting via land borders unless they first formally cancel their application for protection.

This cancellation process requires asylum seekers to present themselves at the Department of Home Affairs to obtain necessary paperwork for passage. However, some asylum seekers who have attempted to follow this procedure have reported that their bank accounts were subsequently frozen. According to Isaiaha Mombilo of the Congolese Civil Society of South Africa, banks informed affected individuals that permission from Home Affairs was required to unfreeze these accounts. Mombilo claimed the Department of Home Affairs was responsible for these account freezes, resulting in some individuals remaining in South Africa without access to their funds, while others traveled home without their money, exacerbating suffering and increasing the need for social assistance. Lumumba Chia of the South African Refugee-Led Network has also received reports of bank accounts being frozen.

The period following the 30 June deadline saw a significant exodus of foreign nationals from South Africa. By early September, approximately 129,000 Zimbabweans had voluntarily returned to their home country, as reported by the state-owned newspaper Chronicle. Similarly, Malawian news media indicated that over 56,000 migrants had repatriated to Malawi by early August. Concurrently, the South African Police Service (SAPS) informed Parliament that it had arrested, detained, and in some instances, deported thousands of other individuals.

To track these developments and their impact, a new weekly reporting initiative named XenoBarometer has been launched. This project aims to monitor the anti-immigrant movement and its consequences for both national politics and migrant communities across the country. The initial findings from interviews with 13 activists and community leaders underscore a widespread experience of diminishing access to essential services and opportunities for earning a livelihood among those who have chosen to remain in South Africa.

Source: Original reporting via Viewfinder