Opening an urgent virtual imbizo hosted by the SA Human Rights Commission, Sanco national spokesperson Mzukisi Jam added: “You can’t turn a person away when a person needs health services.”

This meeting from 12:00 till 16:00 on Monday (25/5) was convened to confront the marches of anti-immigrant protests affecting several cities nationwide. Viewpoints were sought from key groups in order to calm growing community tensions over undocumented immigrants.

Jam said the unrest is a direct symptom of local communities feeling entirely abandoned by the presidency and national government departments. “You would recall at some point when this thing started, there were attacks on illegal immigrants who were trying to access health services before it intensified.”

He raised alarm over the informal economic sector, pointing out that certain businesses exploit undocumented workers to bypass minimum wage laws. This practice directly undercuts local job seekers trying to survive in sectors like street vending and running spaza shops, thereby worsening youth unemployment and fueling public safety fears.

While Sanco condemned the accompanying violence, he maintained the root of the unrest comes from the presence of undocumented immigrants. As a result, the organisation is calling on the South African government to lead a decisive deportation process, urging the home nations of those affected to assist in their return actively.

Sanco participated because the matter is incredibly urgent, warning that the forum must not become a mere tick-box exercise when communities are desperate for immediate, concrete action. However, the virtual event itself faced pushback.

Several frustrated participants accused the commission of failing to act decisively on the ground. They also took issue with the forum’s terminology, demanding that the commission officially use the term illegal immigrants rather than undocumented migrants.

Meanwhile, these frustrations have already shifted in the Free State, where protests escalated into widespread looting of shops owned by foreign nationals earlier. The unrest started on Sunday at around 21:00 in Phase 6 before spreading through other neighbourhoods across the metro into the morning.

The Bloemfontein shutdown that happened on Monday (25/5) at Freedom Square. Photo: Morgan Piek

Chaos erupted in the lead-up to a shutdown initiated by national service delivery forum leader Potso Motoko. While Motoko emphasised the demonstration was strictly intended to demand government accountability, highlight poor service delivery, and raise awareness about unemployment, alleged gang groups and opportunistic community members took advantage of the situation to loot local businesses.

As the commission attempts to mediate through dialogue, the situation on the ground remains tense, caught between a community demanding strict law enforcement and the immediate threat of escalating violence.

OFM News/Refilwe Bekane sm

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