Overview
- Roughly 300 protesters marched to the perimeter of the SADC summit in Durban and were escorted by police on horseback and motorcycles while a helicopter and drones monitored the scene.
- Protest leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma urged visiting heads of state to “take back” nationals she called illegal, a demand voiced in front of the summit perimeter.
- South African authorities say at least four people have been killed in months of xenophobic unrest and that more than 176,000 foreign nationals have left the country in recent months out of fear of violence.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was ashamed and concerned about the mistreatment of foreign nationals, but neighbouring states including Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have publicly criticised South Africa’s handling of the unrest.
- The protests have repeatedly targeted migrants from Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, deepening fear among communities, straining regional diplomacy, and raising the prospect of further expulsions or pressure on the South African government to act.