South Africa (MNN) — “Leave now, or else.”
That’s the basic message that anti-immigrant groups in South Africa have sent to undocumented migrants in recent months. Some protest groups declared June 30 as a deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country or face potential consequences.
“It is not an official deadline. It’s imposed by these groups that have threatened these folk that if they don’t leave, they might have harm come to them,” says Anthony Barkhuizen with TWR.
South Africa’s democratically elected government rejected the June 30 deadline. Still, anti-migrant protesters participated in more than 100 marches across South Africa on June 30. According to South African police, 108 of the demonstrations were peaceful, while 12 required officers to take action due to unrest.
View over Cape Town, South Africa (Stock photo courtesy of E. Diop via Unsplash)
“There’s sporadic violence, as there will always be when large groups of people gather. But I don’t think the country’s on edge,” Barkhuizen says.
Nevertheless, thousands of migrants (legal as well as illegal) took the threats from anti-immigrant groups seriously and have essentially fled the country. They had good reason to. Many have already experienced incidents of looting and intimidation. At least three people have been killed during recent protests.
As we follow these headlines, it’s important to note that Barkhuizen says apartheid has nothing to do with the situation. “This is sectors within the African culture, where people have come from Africa and are being chased away by Africans,” he says. “It’s classic xenophobia 101.”
Instead, Barkhuizen says the conflict goes back to supply and demand. South Africa’s unemployment rate has been above 30 percent for more than five years. Illegal immigrants are being blamed for part of that, even though migrants are only around 4 percent of the population, according to a 2022 census.
(See a 2019 report from Amnesty International that highlights the barriers and inequalities that immigrants face within South Africa.)
Barkhuizen says TWR uses its broadcasts to point listeners to the message of the gospel as the answer for all problems, “because once they start believing and living the Word of God, to love one another, love your neighbor as you love yourself, [then they will] treat each other with love, dignity, and respect.”
Wise love isn’t easy. It requires discernment. Pray for Christians in South Africa as they navigate complex legal layers, the need for jobs and daily life resources, and the mission to share Christ with others.
“Pray for peace for South Africa. Africa needs Jesus,” says Barkhuizen. “Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to His people here in Africa. Then pray for the church to rise up and love all people, all of God’s creation equally.”
Header image is a stock photo courtesy of Karabo Mdluli via Unsplash
