GANSBAAI – More than 500 foreign nationals have fled their homes in the Overberg region in the Western Cape after groups of locals went door-to-door telling them to leave the country, forcing many to hide in mountains and bushland before seeking refuge in community halls.

Most of those displaced are nationals from Malawi and Mozambique who left their homes at the weekend, spending nights outdoors before making their way to small-town community centres.

Thomas Vincent Baloyi (32), a Mozambican national who has worked in construction and gardening in South Africa for nearly 16 years, said groups arrived at his home in Gansbaai, about 110 km southeast of Cape Town.

“They said ‘you are a foreigner, you don’t belong in South Africa, so you must go’,” Baloyi told AFP. “I said, ‘no, I got documents to be here in South Africa’. They didn’t want to know. They just chased us away like dogs. We just stayed in the bush until six in the morning.”

The displaced foreign nationals come amid weeks of protests against undocumented migrants that escalated into violence at the weekend in Mossel Bay, 250 km up the coast, where 55 shacks were set alight.

South African police confirmed two Mozambican nationals died but did not link the deaths to an anti-illegal migrant march held hours earlier. The Mozambique government said five of its citizens were killed as a direct consequence of xenophobic attacks.

Around 300 people fled back across the border into Mozambique on Saturday, with hundreds more expected to follow, according to Mozambican authorities.

After one anti-illegal migrant group set a 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, small groups carrying whips, sticks, wooden clubs and axes have been reported in various areas enforcing the ultimatum.

Ghana has already repatriated 300 of its citizens, with hundreds more due to leave this weekend. Nigeria has also announced emergency repatriation flights.

‘Legal or illegal, they don’t want foreign nationals’

Local councillor Msa Nomatiti said locals turned on foreigners in an informal settlement in Gansbaai on Monday, with some groups allegedly accompanied by police.

“They were dragging people out of their houses. Whether you are legal or illegal, they say they don’t want any foreign nationals in the township,” Nomatiti said.

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By late Tuesday, small groups could still be seen walking out of informal settlements, carrying their belongings in darkness and light rain as they made their way to places of safety.

“Some of them lost their passports because of the beatings and being dragged out of their houses,” Nomatiti said. Government officials have been sent to help with documentation and voluntary repatriations.

Around 50 people gathered at the Gansbaai mosque, which was filled with people and belongings, sharing one toilet and a single tap.

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Fleeing in the night

In Kleinmond, 40 km closer to Cape Town, nearly 100 foreign nationals, most of them Malawian, sought shelter at a local community hall. Large bags of clothing and blankets lined the walls, with chairs the only furniture. Volunteers served warm meals and donations from local residents trickled in.

Michael Markson (31), a Malawian national, said landlords told non-South Africans on Saturday to leave immediately as locals were conducting door-to-door searches.

“So we came out in the night hours, we went to the bush. There’s a mountain up there, we slept there,” Markson said. “They’re taking pangas, dangerous tools. They can hunt someone.”

In Stanford, less than 20 km inland, Malawian national Talibo Mbewe said he had been sheltering at the community hall for two days.

“The thieves, they have already taken all our stuff at home, so we don’t have anything. But it’s better to go home without anything than to lose our lives,” Mbewe said.

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