Police in South Africa on Wednesday fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse hundreds of anti-immigrant protesters who took to the streets in the coastal city of Durban.
The demonstration is the latest in a series of protests driven by growing anti-foreigner sentiment in the country, which has repeatedly sparked violent attacks on immigrants in recent years.
The issue has also become increasingly sensitive politically as local government elections approach in less than a year.
The protest was mobilised by several groups, including political parties and the controversial vigilante movement Operation Dudula, whose name translates to “push back” in Zulu.
Marchers flooded the streets holding placards, singing and chanting as they called on the government to take tougher measures against undocumented foreign nationals.
Police initially managed to prevent the protesters from marching toward the Durban beachfront, an area demonstrators claim has become a hub for drug dealers and criminal activity.
Tension escalated after a small group of protesters broke away from the main crowd, harassing bystanders and looting shops.
The development prompted security operatives to intervene using teargas and rubber bullets to restore order.
Several shop owners had earlier closed their businesses out of fear that the protest could turn violent.
Among those present at the demonstration was Herman Mashaba, leader of the ActionSA party, who used the occasion to criticise the government’s handling of immigration.
“People can call us names but we cannot allow a situation where our country is being destroyed before our very own eyes,” Mashaba said.
He accused the government of failing to control migration into the country.
“We are seeing our government allowing our country to be flooded by groups from all over the world as far as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mexico — all over the world. So we are saying to our government this is unacceptable,” he added.
Some protesters argued that undocumented migrants were worsening unemployment and crime in their communities.
An 81-year-old resident, Thembi Dlamini, said she joined the protest because she believed corruption and illegal migration were harming the country.
“I have seen my country going down because officials take bribes to give documents illegally, police allow drug trade because they are paid,” she said.
She added that competition for jobs had intensified among unemployed citizens.
“Jobs are being taken away by our brothers from other parts of Africa who are here illegally. Where will our children get jobs?” she asked.
As Africa’s most industrialised economy, South Africa remains a major destination for migrants seeking employment, despite its own high unemployment rate, which currently stands at about 32 percent.
Official statistics indicate that approximately three million foreigners, representing about 5.1 percent of the country’s population, currently live in South Africa.
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