Authorities condemn xenophobic violence as protests against undocumented migrants escalate across the country.
South African police have warned anti-immigration groups against taking the law into their own hands following the deaths of two Mozambican nationals linked to recent protests against undocumented migrants.
The victims were killed in the coastal town of Mossel Bay after a demonstration targeting illegal migration, marking the first reported fatalities associated with the latest wave of anti-foreigner protests. While the Mozambican government claimed that five of its citizens had died in xenophobic attacks, South African authorities confirmed that two deaths occurred during activities connected to anti-foreigner demonstrations.
Speaking on Wednesday, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili condemned violence, intimidation and attacks based on nationality, stressing that no grievance could justify criminal acts. She warned that security agencies would not tolerate unlawful operations by vigilante groups seeking to target foreign nationals. The latest unrest has reignited concerns over xenophobic violence in South Africa, with reports of groups ordering migrants to leave certain communities by June 30.
Authorities also disclosed that thousands of undocumented migrants have been arrested in recent weeks as immigration enforcement operations continue across the country.