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Human rights organisations and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) have raised serious concerns over a growing wave of xenophobic protests and intimidation targeting migrants, including children, in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The warnings come as anti-foreigner marches took place on Thursday in Thokoza and Pinetown, adding to fears that tensions are escalating across several communities.Civil society groups say the protests are increasingly affecting schools and creating fear among migrant families, with some parents reportedly keeping their children at home over safety concerns.
In a joint statement released on May 20, the Equal Education Law Centre, Equal Education, Children’s Institute, section 27, Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia and Lawyers for Human Rights condemned what they described as organised xenophobic intimidation by groups such as Operation Dudula and March and March.
The organisations said one video circulating online appears to show protesters gathered outside a school in Gauteng while parents fetched their children after school.
“As children as young as five years old are escorted home by their parents, members of the group are heard shouting ‘away with foreign nationals’ on loudspeakers,” the organisations said. “These acts are not only cowardly, but also strike at our constitutional values and shared humanity.”
Rights groups say the latest incidents form part of a broader pattern of anti-migrant mobilisation seen over the past year. The organisations referred to an incident in August 2025 in which Operation Dudula members were accused of entering the maternity ward at Lillian Ngoyi Clinic and demanding identity documents from pregnant women. In September last year, former Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula allegedly confirmed that warning letters had been delivered to 11 schools in Soweto, threatening action against migrant learners.
Earlier this year, March and March, led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, together with supporters linked to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, allegedly protested outside Addington Primary School, where parents and learners were reportedly intimidated over several days. The organisations warned that children are increasingly becoming caught in political and social tensions around migration.
“When adults begin to dehumanise children, it marks a tipping point — the moment society starts to lose its moral compass,” the statement read.“Scapegoating migrants will not solve South Africa’s problems”, While condemning xenophobic violence, the organisations acknowledged the deep frustrations many South Africans face due to unemployment, poverty, poor service delivery and pressure on public resources.
However, they argued that migrants are being unfairly blamed for problems rooted in decades of inequality, corruption, state capture and government failures.
“Research consistently shows that anti-immigration sentiment rises when people feel economically insecure and politically abandoned — not because migrants are actually taking resources, but because scapegoating is easier than holding those in power accountable,” the statement said.
The groups said many of the challenges facing schools — including overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, sanitation problems and educator shortages — existed long before migration became a major political issue.
The organisations also criticised dysfunction within the Department of Home Affairs, saying delays and failures in documentation processes affect both citizens and foreign nationals. “The solution is not violence against migrants, but a functioning, accountable Department of Home Affairs that serves all people in South Africa,” the organisations said. In a separate statement, the South African Human Rights Commission said it was “deeply alarmed” by reports and videos of violence allegedly targeting non-nationals.
The commission warned that violence, intimidation, hate speech, looting and destruction of property threaten South Africa’s constitutional democracy and social cohesion. “The Commission reaffirms that members of the public may raise grievances and protest, but such actions must remain peaceful and lawful,” the SAHRC said.
“Violence, intimidation, hate speech, looting and property destruction are unacceptable and constitute serious human-rights violations and criminal conduct.”
The commission called on the Minister of Police and other government departments to intervene urgently in KwaZulu-Natal and take preventative measures in other provinces.
It also urged communities not to resort to vigilantism. “Anyone alleged to have committed a crime, irrespective of nationality, should be subject to the rule of law, with arrest and trial in a court of law,” the commission said. The SAHRC further warned against using unverified social media allegations involving foreign nationals to inflame tensions. The rights organisations called on police to deploy additional resources to protect schools, migrant communities and people believed to be at risk of attack.
Among their demands was the creation of security perimeters around schools affected by protests to prevent children from being exposed to intimidation or conflict. The groups also urged the Department of Basic Education and provincial education departments to ensure that all learners — regardless of nationality or documentation status — are able to attend school safely.
They further called for investigations into individuals and organisations allegedly responsible for organising and inciting xenophobic violence. Questions were also raised about the funding of protest movements such as Operation Dudula and March and March, “We must question how these organised groups are funded,” the organisations said.
At the heart of the growing debate is South Africa’s Constitution, which guarantees fundamental rights to everyone living in the country, regardless of nationality or immigration status. The organisations pointed to Sections 9, 10 and 12 of the Constitution, which protect equality, dignity and freedom from violence.
“Targeting individuals based on their nationality or migrant status not only undermines the rule of law, but also betrays the foundational values of dignity, equality and freedom upon which our democracy was built,” the statement said.
As tensions continue to rise, both the SAHRC and civil society organisations warned that public frustration over unemployment, crime and failing services should not be allowed to turn into violence against vulnerable communities.
The organisations said they would continue using legal and advocacy channels to defend the rights of affected learners and families. “We will stand with every child who has a right to sit in a classroom — because that right belongs to all of them,” the joint statement concluded.
