As anti-migration groups prepare mass marches on Tuesday 30 June, traditional leaders, church groups and local committees are mobilising to protect foreign nationals.
Siyafana Sonke, a coalition of 160 organisations, called on the government at Constitutional Hill on Monday 29 June to treat the rising anti-migrant sentiment as a humanitarian crisis. The group urged South Africans to direct anger over unemployment and service failures at the government instead of migrants.
Mametlwe Sebei of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa said the state must safeguard every person in the country. The South African Council of Churches issued a statement on 29 June calling for calm and warning that violence against migrants will not solve problems.
King Misuzulu kaZwelithini urged peaceful demonstrations over the weekend. In Thembelihle, community organisers have vowed to protect migrants and foreign-owned businesses. The government has allocated R600 million to boost police resources ahead of the protests.
