Ruptly
"Dozens of anti-immigration protesters marched through the streets of Cape Town on Saturday, as a growing wave of anti-foreigner demonstrations continues to fuel tensions across South Africa. Footage shows demonstrators carrying sticks and marching through the Somali-populated district of Bellville, while police officers kept protesters and onlookers separated to maintain order. "These streets belong to us," March and March leader Ngobese Zuma exclaimed. "This is our country and we're not going to surrender it to criminals." Many businesses along the route closed in anticipation of the march, which comes amid mounting tensions between the anti-immigrant group ;March and March' and migrant communities in several parts of the country. The protests have specifically targeted African migrants from countries including Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe and Malawi, with demonstrators accusing foreigners of taking jobs, contributing to crime and straining public services. "We are marching in defence of our country," protester Alvaro said. "We do not hate foreigners. We want law and order in our country. We want to do away with crime, drugs, prostitution." Alvaro warned migrants to leave the country before a reported June 30 deadline, saying: "We are the peaceful ones, warning you peacefully. Go before the crowd gets out of hand." Some protesters argued that economic opportunities should prioritise South Africans, claiming jobs in small businesses such as salons and tuck shops should belong to local citizens rather than foreign nationals. Meanwhile, migrants living in Cape Town said that frustration over economic hardships was being unfairly directed at vulnerable communities rather than government authorities. "They shift the blame to the vulnerable," one immigrant said. "We know there are some foreigners who are committing crimes, but it's not all of them." Congolese migrant Tresor emphasised that Africans should stand together instead of turning against one another, arguing that "in any country in the world, there is always a foreigner somewhere in the country". Dozens of civic organisations, including Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, Chronicles of Refugees and Immigrants and Africa Unite, condemned the anti-immigration demonstrations in a joint statement, warning that anti-immigrant rhetoric was spreading fear in communities and schools. The organisations also blamed inefficiencies within the Department of Home Affairs for documentation backlogs affecting both citizens and migrants, arguing that the failures have fuelled misinformation and heightened tensions nationwide."
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