Thousands Flee South Africa as Anti-Immigrant Groups' June 30 'Deadline' Arrives

Picture this: tens of thousands of people packing up whatever they can carry, sleeping on sidewalks outside government buildings, waiting for a bus or a plane to take them "home" — even if home is a country they haven't lived in for decades, or worse, one currently at war.

That's what's been playing out in South Africa as a self-declared June 30 "deadline" set by anti-immigrant groups arrived. Anti-immigrant groups set the date as an ultimatum for undocumented immigrants to leave the country, threatening a "national shutdown" if the government didn't take significant action on immigration. To be clear: the ultimatum has no legal standing — government officials have repeatedly said so — but that hasn't stopped it from reshaping lives on the ground.

How did we get here?

Anti-foreigner sentiment has been on the rise in recent months, with protests in several major cities across the country. The anti-immigration group March and March gained momentum leading up to the deadline, and an estimated 20 anti-immigration groups reaffirmed their participation in nationwide protests tied to June 30. The call on social media often involved encouragement and endorsement of brutality against immigrants.

The run-up to this date turned violent fast. Three people — a Malawian man and two Mozambican nationals — were killed during recent anti-immigration protests in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape provinces. Small bands of people brandishing whips, sticks, wooden clubs, and sometimes axes took to the streets in various places to reinforce the ultimatum.

The human cost

France 24 spoke to two refugees forced to flee their homes in early June following protests in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The men gathered outside Home Affairs offices alongside hundreds of other foreign nationals, where they remained on the pavement for weeks, awaiting repatriation after decades in South Africa.

One of them, Mabako, holds refugee status and has lived in South Africa for more than 22 years. For him, leaving would mean not only losing his livelihood but returning to a country embroiled in conflict. His dilemma sums up the impossible situation for many: "At home there is war. Here, things are not going well either. We are between the hammer and the anvil."

One documented migrant said he decided to leave after receiving repeated threats from neighbours who warned they would kill migrants once the deadline arrived. Another was forced to leave his children behind with his South African wife after she said she could no longer support them on her own.

The numbers

The scale of the exodus is striking. South Africa's Border Management Authority says more than 13,000 foreign nationals — including about 9,000 Malawians, 3,000 Zimbabweans, 900 Ghanaians, and 300 Nigerians — have either been voluntarily repatriated or deported in the last fortnight. Nigeria and Ghana repatriated nearly 2,000 nationals on government-sponsored flights, citing safety concerns.

And the South African government's own enforcement numbers tell a story too. Deportations rose 46 percent over the past two financial years, from just shy of 58,000 in 2024–2025 to 109,344 as of March 31, 2026.

What protesters actually want — and what the government is doing about it

Here's the uncomfortable part: anti-foreigner groups warned businesses to terminate employment of all foreign nationals — including those with valid documentation — by June 30. This isn't just about undocumented migrants; some protesters want all foreign nationals gone.

South African Police Services launched a special $36 million operation ahead of the protests, with acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia saying police would not tolerate violence or lawlessness. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced tougher workplace inspections targeting employers who hire undocumented workers — a step widely read as a partial concession to the movement's demands.

Why this matters beyond South Africa

This isn't a new pattern. In May 2008, xenophobic violence resulted in 62 deaths, and 21 of those killed were South Africans mistaken for foreign nationals. Demonstrators accuse immigrants, without evidence, of stealing jobs — despite immigrants representing about 4% of the population — as well as collapsing public services and fueling crime. Meanwhile, South Africa's unemployment rate stood at 32% in the first quarter of 2026, after 350,000 jobs were lost, with young people hardest hit. The economic frustration is real — but researchers dispute whether migrants are the cause.

For people far from South Africa, this story is a reminder of how quickly fear, economic anxiety, and coordinated social media messaging can produce a humanitarian crisis — even when the "deadline" driving it has no legal basis whatsoever.