Johannesburg. The clock is ticking. With hours to go before South Africa’s midnight deadline for undocumented migrants to present themselves at designated processing centres, a climate of fear is gripping townships and informal settlements across Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The government’s ultimatum, issued by Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, requires all foreign nationals without valid documentation to register or face immediate deportation. The measure is part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration, which the government claims is straining public services and fuelling crime. But human rights groups and international observers have raised alarm over the potential for mass roundups and xenophobic violence.
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office issued a statement urging Pretoria to ensure the process is conducted “in a manner consistent with international obligations” and to “prioritise the safe passage of vulnerable individuals, including women, children and asylum seekers.” The UK’s intervention reflects growing unease among Western capitals that the operation could trigger a humanitarian crisis. South Africa hosts an estimated two million undocumented migrants, many from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Somalia, who have fled economic hardship or political instability.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, warned that collective deportations could violate the principle of non-refoulement. “South Africa has a proud tradition of providing refuge. It must not abandon that now,” he said. The deadline comes amid rising anti-migrant sentiment. In recent weeks, there have been reports of vigilante groups setting up roadblocks in Alexandra and Diepsloot, demanding identification. The police have been deployed to prevent unrest, but tensions remain high.
At the Lindela Repatriation Centre, just outside Johannesburg, queues have grown as migrants attempt to voluntarily register. But many are too afraid to come forward. “I have been here for seven years. I have a job, a family. But now I am terrified,” said Tapiwa, a Zimbabwean who declined to give his full name. Community leaders accuse the government of scapegoating migrants for problems of its own making. “Unemployment is 35 per cent. The government cannot blame foreigners for that,” said Mthandazo Ndlovu, an activist in Soweto.
The deadline is also exposing fractures within the ruling African National Congress. The party’s alliance partners, the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions, have criticised the operation as draconian. Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has remained largely silent, seeking to balance domestic political pressure with the need to maintain South Africa’s reputation as a regional leader.
Beyond South Africa’s borders, there is concern that a chaotic forced return could destabilise neighbouring states. The Southern African Development Community has called for restraint, while the African Union has offered to mediate. But with the government pressing ahead, the immediate future for hundreds of thousands of people now lies in the balance.
As midnight approaches, the world watches. The UK’s appeal for safe passage may be a diplomatic signal, but it remains to be seen whether it will be heeded. In the streets of Hillbrow and Cape Town’s inner city, the question is not about policy but survival.
