Anti-immigration protests have escalated across South Africa, with demonstrators in Johannesburg conducting door-to-door searches for undocumented migrants on Thursday. Protesters in the Alexandra area reportedly broke into homes and handed over those without valid papers to police, including a Malawian woman and her child. Similar actions took place in Soweto and Durban, spreading fear among foreign residents.

The movement, led by former radio presenter Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, has vowed to continue weekly protests until its demands are met. Organizers blame undocumented migrants for South Africa’s economic problems and are calling for stricter border control, mass deportations, and priority access to public services for citizens. Anti-immigrant sentiment has grown amid high unemployment, with some groups having set an informal June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged against blaming migrants for social and economic challenges, emphasizing the need to enforce immigration laws fairly. The unrest has already prompted more than 38,000 Malawians and 60,000 Zimbabweans to return home, according to their governments.