Migrants in South Africa fear violence ahead of June 30 deadline

Johannesburg, South Africa – On the outskirts of southern Johannesburg, residents gathered on Sunday in the informal settlement of Tembelihle ahead of a June 30 deadline that anti-immigrant activists have set for foreign nationals to leave South Africa. The meeting was organised by the Tembelihle Crisis Committee, a grassroots movement that has previously opposed xenophobic violence. Its leaders said the aim was to discourage attacks on foreign nationals as tensions rose across the country. About 300 people attended, including Malawian migrants worried about what the coming days might bring. The meeting exposed sharp divisions. Some speakers urged residents not to target foreign nationals, while others blamed migrants for crime and social problems. Calls for foreigners to leave South Africa were met with applause and ululations from sections of the crowd. By the end of the evening, after residents had dispersed from an area locally known as Park Station, word spread that a Malawian resident had been stabbed nearby. It was unclear whether the attack was opportunistic crime or linked to anti-immigrant sentiment. Luke Sinwell, a professor at the University of Johannesburg, told Al Jazeera that efforts to discourage violence were overshadowed by division inside the meeting. Before the gathering, organisers had discussed how to persuade residents that violence was not the answer, he said. …