CIVICUS discusses the current wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa with Ashley Green-Thompson, Director of ACT Ubumbano, a network of Southern African and European organisations that works for economic, environmental and gender justice.

South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence, with recurring waves of attacks on migrants and refugees driven by economic hardship and political manipulation. An alarming new wave of anti-migrant protests and violence in 2026 raises urgent questions about government accountability, the political exploitation of economic grievances and civil society’s responsibilities.

What’s driving the current wave of xenophobic violence, and who’s behind it?

In April and May 2026, a citizen-led movement called March and March held anti-immigration protests in several cities that ended in violent attacks on migrants. Protest organisers blame migrants for the country’s economic troubles. South Africa faces unsustainable unemployment, with over half of young people locked out of the formal economy. There’s growing inequality, rampant corruption and mismanagement of state institutions. These conditions prepare the ground in which hostility towards migrants takes root. Historically, moments of xenophobic violence in South Africa have always been linked to periods of sustained economic crisis.

These hardships are being exploited by political groups that know how to mobilise discontent for their agendas. They push an anti-migrant stance unashamedly in pursuit of votes. The most prominent are the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, headed by former president Jacob Zuma, ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance. All three are capitalising on people’s discontent at the local level.

Global geopolitics are also at play. South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. Based on the values that underpin the constitution, it has taken strong positions on the global stage, particularly towards Israel and the USA in relation to Palestine. I believe it serves a right-wing agenda driven by the USA to have South Africa’s constitutional democracy and global positioning undermined, including by promoting the narrative of a ‘white genocide’ happening in South Africa.

What dangers do migrants face, and how has the government responded?

Migrants face existential danger. There have been cases of migrants who have been attacked and killed on the margins of the protests, much like the violence when people were targeted in 2008. The organisers of the protests invoke their constitutional right to protest but are fully aware of the violent encounters these marches produce. They have given undocumented migrants until the end of June to leave the country, and we all fear what will happen after this arbitrary deadline.

The government has been slow to respond. I hope there is an urgent response and security measures are put in place. Any failure to do so will lead to a situation where the violence can’t be contained. Today’s situation echoes what happened in 2021, when people were in such desperate conditions that it took only a small spark for nationwide looting and burning to break out.

How does this fit into South Africa’s history and global trends of xenophobia?

When South Africa won its freedom in 1994, the dream was to replace the apartheid regime with a progressive constitutional democracy that valued people’s rights. For me, that was the moment when the ideal of an emancipated, united Africa could have been advanced. But the insistence on neoliberal economic policies and the pressure to integrate into a global economy that remains extractivist and neocolonial undermined the political project of building pan-African solidarity.

South Africa is not alone in its anti-migrant mobilisation. Globally, xenophobia has become a get-out-of-jail-free card for elites who have failed to manage their national economies and political systems to advance a more just society.

Exclusion of marginalised populations is visible across Africa and the global north. Countries like Ghana are passing legislation to further isolate LGBTQI+ people. The USA is now the standard-bearer for exclusionary attitudes and the othering of whole communities. This phenomenon is taking many different forms throughout the world.

What role can civil society play in protecting migrants and confronting xenophobia?

Civil society and faith-based organisations are trying to create safe spaces and shelters at the local level and providing support to communities who are under threat across South Africa.

In the medium term, civil society should find ways to refocus its energy towards holding the government accountable and countering the narrative that blames migrants for government failures. But in many parts of the country, doing that puts you in the crosshairs and could get you killed.

In the longer term, civil society must undertake a serious introspection and ask, where have we failed? We need to be honest about the failures not just of government but of civil society to develop strong connections with local communities. Too many civil society organisations too often pursue their own agendas without understanding the reality of communities. When you don’t listen carefully to communities, you can be outmanoeuvred, out-organised and out-mobilised by forces such as March and March. But if you are rooted in the community, you can create the spaces for people to share their frustrations, develop a deeper understanding of what the real causes of the problems are and then take action to target the real issues, rather than targeting and blaming the weakest and most vulnerable.

CIVICUS interviews a wide range of civil society activists, experts and leaders to gather diverse perspectives on civil society action and current issues for publication on its CIVICUS Lens platform. The views expressed in interviews are the interviewees’ and do not necessarily reflect those of CIVICUS. Publication does not imply endorsement of interviewees or the organisations they represent.