PHOTO ESSAY: Anti-Immigrant Demonstrations Erupt in South Africa, Targeting Nigerian and Other Foreign Nationals

Rubber bullets and teargas were deployed by South African police on Wednesday to break up a protest in Durban, where hundreds of demonstrators had gathered to call for stricter measures against foreigners.

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The protest, which drew members of various political parties and the vigilante group Operation Dudula, saw marchers brandishing placards and chanting slogans against undocumented immigrants, with specific reference to nationals from Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, and other countries, who they blamed for job losses and crime.

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Herman Mashaba, leader of the ActionSA party, addressed the crowd, stating that the situation was untenable and that the government was allowing the country to be overrun by foreign groups from as far afield as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Mexico.

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Mashaba further emphasized that the government's inaction was unacceptable, saying that the influx of foreigners was destroying the country, and that urgent action was needed to address the issue.

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In anticipation of the protest, some shop owners in the area had closed their businesses, fearing potential looting and violence, while reports emerged of a small group of protesters harassing bystanders and looting shops, prompting the police to intervene.

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Thembi Dlamini, an 81-year-old resident of Clermont, west of Durban, spoke out at the protest, lamenting the decline of the country due to corruption and the illicit activities of foreign nationals, saying that jobs were being taken away from locals by undocumented migrants from other parts of Africa.

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Dlamini questioned the impact on future generations, asking where the children of South Africa would find employment if jobs continued to be taken by foreign workers, highlighting the pressing concerns over unemployment and competition for jobs.

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The protest comes amid rising tensions in South Africa, where unemployment affects nearly 32 per cent of the population, and around three million foreigners, approximately 5.1 per cent of the population, reside in the country, according to statistics.