DURBAN – More than 250 foreign nationals, mostly women and children, sought protection at a church centre in Durban on Wednesday as organised groups intensified a campaign targeting undocumented migrants in South Africa.

The migrants gathered behind the gates of the Diakonia Council of Churches building in the city centre, many reporting harassment, threats and robberies at their homes in recent weeks.

Miriamu Mokonzi, from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kivu region, said groups visited her home over the weekend demanding to know when her family planned to leave.

“They warned that if we don’t leave by the end of the month, we will be attacked or killed,” Mokonzi said. “That is why I am here with my children.”

Anti-migrant protests have spread across South Africa in recent weeks, with a Durban-based group calling itself March and March setting a 30 June deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. The group, whose members dress in traditional Zulu attire and carry shields and sticks, claims migrants are responsible for crime in the area.

The demand carries no legal authority and is not supported by government officials, but has created widespread fear among migrant communities. Disinformation circulating on social media has added to the tension.

Migrants at the church centre said vigilantes have been moving through townships and informal settlements, going door to door to deliver threats. Several women reported being robbed of cellphones, money and other possessions.

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Moses Ombeni, also from the DRC, said the group included people from Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. He said they first sought protection at a police station earlier in the week but were forced to leave when officers used rubber bullets and teargas, resulting in injuries.

Durban, a major port city and economic hub, has been a recurring flashpoint for xenophobic violence, with different groups targeting foreign nationals over the years.

South Africa has experienced several waves of anti-foreigner violence since 2008, when dozens of migrants were killed and thousands displaced in attacks across the country. Further outbreaks occurred in 2015 and 2021, often linked to economic hardship and political rhetoric around immigration.

The current escalation comes six months ahead of local government elections.

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