by Ntandoyenkosi Ncube
JOHANNESBURG, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The first round of weekly anti-illegal immigration protests drew fewer participants than organizers had expected in Johannesburg and several other South African cities on Thursday, but analysts say the modest turnout should not be interpreted as waning public concern over immigration, unemployment and the country's broader economic challenges.
Organized by March and March and other anti-immigration groups, demonstrations took place in Soweto, Alexandra and other parts of Johannesburg, as well as in communities around the coastal city of Durban.
Protesters again called for tighter border controls, faster deportation of undocumented migrants, tougher penalties for employers hiring people without legal documentation and stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
Although attendance fell short of organizers' expectations, they pledged to continue the campaign.
"Every Thursday, for the next six months, we are marching until they (illegal immigrants) are gone," Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, the leader of March and March, told supporters following nationwide demonstrations held on June 30.
The weekly protests come amid mounting public frustration over sluggish economic growth, persistently high unemployment and deteriorating public services. Official data released by Statistics South Africa in June showed that the unemployment rate remained around 30 percent, while youth unemployment exceeded 60 percent.
Against that backdrop, some South Africans have linked undocumented migration to competition for jobs, pressure on public services and crime, making immigration one of the country's most contentious political and social issues.
"The narrative that undocumented migrants are to blame for all failures of the state to deliver on what they should be delivering, whether it's socioeconomic development or access to quality social services, including health care, is scapegoating migrants," Jo Vearey, an associate professor at the African Center for Migration and Society at the University of the Witwatersrand, was quoted as saying by the local newspaper The Citizen.
South Africa, one of Africa's largest economies, has long attracted migrants from neighboring countries and beyond. Government data released in June showed that about 3.1 million documented foreign nationals are registered in the country, while estimates of the undocumented migrant population vary widely.
Cyril Ramaphosa, the country's president, has acknowledged the challenges posed by illegal immigration while stressing that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the state and warning that violence, intimidation and vigilantism against foreign nationals undermine the rule of law.
The Department of Home Affairs said in April that nearly 110,000 undocumented migrants had been deported since the Government of National Unity took office in 2024. On Tuesday, the Border Management Authority said more than 45,000 undocumented immigrants had been processed and removed through enforcement operations since June 7.
Analysts say the protests reflect genuine socioeconomic frustrations but caution that undocumented migration is only one part of a much broader challenge facing South Africa.
While immigrants may contribute to some of the challenges experienced in the country, they are not the major factor, said Munyaradzi Mukonza, an associate professor in the Department of Public Management at Tshwane University of Technology, noting that the biggest problem is slow economic growth.
"Immigrants have become an easy target when people cannot really confront those they elected and entrusted with the responsibility of driving the economy and delivering public goods and services at their doorsteps," Mukonza said, adding, "Therefore, what we are seeing is immigrants being used as a scapegoat for problems that are far bigger than immigration alone." ■
