SOUTH AFRICA — Anti-migrant protests continued across South Africa on July 9, 2026, with activists in Johannesburg conducting door-to-door searches for undocumented migrants and handing individuals over to police. A reporter observed protesters breaking down doors and entering homes in Alexandra township. Demonstrators escorted people, including a woman and a small child from Malawi, to police vans. One man apprehended by marchers stated he was legally in South Africa. Protesters in Soweto marched with sticks and flags, while a demonstration also took place in Durban.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned of increasing humanitarian needs and disruptions to healthcare following recent violence and displacement. MSF launched an emergency response to address impaired access to medical care for those affected by xenophobic actions and intimidation. MSF reported that refugees, asylum seekers, and documented migrants have been targeted by anti-migrant groups, despite protesters claiming to focus only on undocumented individuals. Claire Waterhouse, an MSF Emergency Coordinator, stated, "We are deeply saddened to see people fleeing harassment and violence and we stand in solidarity with affected communities who have had their rights to health and dignity undermined." Waterhouse added, "Our priority is to address disrupted access to healthcare for those most at risk, regardless of who they are or where they come from."

A 49-year-old Malawian man in Lenasia informed MSF that anti-migrant protesters stole his money, laptop, and other possessions during a door-to-door campaign. After being injured by protesters, he reported being denied medical assistance at a clinic. He stated, "Blood was coming from in my mouth and out of my eyes. [Someone working at the clinic] said, 'You are a foreigner, we can't help you. You must go to your country. I don't want foreigners here. If you sit here, I can call the people, and they will come here and beat you again'."

Anti-migrant demonstrators had issued an informal deadline for undocumented migrants to depart South Africa by June 30, 2026. A community leader, Musa Mabiko, stated, "Our mandate is clear, we need them to go. We don't need them here in South Africa because they are here illegally." Mabiko also noted the anti-migrant protest march in Alexandra had become uncontrolled and needed to cease immediately. Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of the anti-migrant movement March and March, denied claims of xenophobia, stating the group would hold weekly protests every Thursday until their demands are met.

Soweto community leader Portia Zulu addressed the economic situation in the country. Zulu stated, "The pie is now too small to share because South Africans are unemployed, the rate of crime has gone too high. So we want the government to be serious about deporting undocumented foreigners." South Africa's unemployment rate exceeds 30 percent. More than three million foreigners reside in South Africa, comprising just over five percent of its population.