As several African countries continue repatriating their citizens from South Africa following renewed anti-foreigner protests, questions continue to emerge over what is truly driving the country’s recurring waves of xenophobia.
By Monday, June 29, more than 25,000 people had been repatriated, with many others still awaiting departure after anti-migrant groups demanded that foreign nationals leave the country.
Groups leading the campaigns argue that South Africa is overwhelmed by undocumented migrants who, they claim, take jobs from citizens, strain already limited public services and contribute to rising crime levels.
On June 24, Musa Hlongwa, president of the anti-migrant civic group United South Africa, told journalists that South Africans were increasingly frustrated.
“South Africans are tired of standing in long queues in hospitals, competing for spaces in public schools with illegal immigrants and competing for jobs with foreign nationals. They are also tired of Nigerians who are selling drugs to the youth of this country,” Hlongwa said.
But governance expert Peter Kagwanja argues that the situation is more complex and that migrants are being blamed for broader structural problems.
According to Kagwanja, South Africa’s migration tensions cannot be viewed only through the lens of jobs and public services, but also through historical and demographic questions that continue to shape the country.
Peter Kagwanja: What Africans are experiencing in South Africa is a new version of apartheid. It has always been portrayed as a Black-versus-White affair but today, it has taken on a different form. The beneficiaries of this wave of xenophobia are the white immigrants.… pic.twitter.com/1NLSAc5y2X — SpiceFM (@SpiceFMKE) July 2, 2026
He says the current wave of xenophobia, while targeting African migrants, reflects deeper social and historical dynamics.
“What Africans are experiencing in South Africa is a new version of apartheid. It has always been portrayed as a Black-versus-White affair, but today it has taken on a different form,” said Kagwanja. Adding that the issue goes beyond migration itself.
“It is not anti-migration; it is anti-Africans,” he said, arguing that the beneficiaries of this wave of xenophobia are white immigrants.
According to Kagwanja, weakening African migration into South Africa also weakens Africa’s influence, business networks and demographic presence within the country.
South Africa’s history also shapes current perceptions.
Kagwanja says previous governments failed to invest sufficiently in developing leadership and expanding educational opportunities for South Africans. As a result, some South Africans now find themselves competing with migrants from other African countries who may possess stronger educational backgrounds or specialised skills.
Additionally, during apartheid, the government relied heavily on migrant labour from across Africa to sustain industries such as mining while keeping wages low and weakening labour unions.
Today, South Africa faces one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, with more than 30 per cent of the workforce unemployed. Economic frustration, analysts say, has made migrants an easy target for public anger.
Yet available data offers a more nuanced perspective.
A 2018 World Bank report found that for every migrant employed, approximately two jobs are created for South Africans through business activity and wider economic participation.
Migrants also contribute to the local economy by spending much of their income on goods and services within South Africa, supporting local businesses and industries.
In addition, other experts argue that undocumented migrants are often less likely to use public services such as hospitals or schools because registration requirements may expose their immigration status.
Analysts also say that rather than addressing deep-rooted economic pressures, governance failures and unemployment, vigilante groups are increasingly turning foreign nationals into convenient scapegoats.
As tensions continue, the question remains whether South Africa’s migration debate is truly about jobs and public services, or whether it reflects deeper struggles over identity, inequality and South Africa’s place within Africa.
