September 30 warning for domestic workers, Checkers Sixty60 drivers, and others in South Africa
Another unofficial deadline has been issued by an anti-migrant group for foreign nationals working in South Africa, including domestic workers, delivery drivers and factory workers.
According to an on-the-ground report by ENCA, the group has given migrants until 30 September to leave.
This echoes a previous deadline issued by the group for 30 June, which coincided with an attempted national shutdown on the same day.
The latest deadline comes after tensions between protesters and migrants living near the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Street escalated last week.
More than 100 members of the group demonstrated next to the makeshift refugee camp this week. Police formed a human shield between the protesters and migrants to prevent the situation from escalating.
Some demonstrators were carrying sticks and sjamboks and wearing balaclavas. Despite the tensions, the demonstration ended without further violence.
Princess Adjei, one of the migrant leaders, said the presence of police and private security had helped prevent another confrontation, but that many migrants remained fearful.
Adjei said many of those staying at the camp were documented refugees, making it unclear whether they would return to their home countries.
Several families have also been staying outside the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre in an effort to obtain documentation and assistance.
Police have said the latest deadline will not change their approach and that they will continue with normal policing operations.
The SAPS added that their focus remains on maintaining law and order and responding to incidents when they occur.
The developments come as the government continues to process foreign nationals for deportation and voluntary repatriation.
Inter-Ministerial Committee chairperson Mmamoloko Kubayi said more than 80,000 foreign nationals had been processed for deportation or repatriation between 14 June and 20 August.
Malawians accounted for the largest group, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans.
Domestic workers, delivery drivers, and factory workers targeted
The tensions have had consequences for businesses that rely on migrant workers.
SweepSouth, an online platform connecting households with domestic workers, previously reported a sharp increase in cancelled bookings around the 30 June deadline.
Chief executive Lourandi Kriel said the week was particularly difficult for the platform.
“We recorded the highest rate of lost bookings on our platform since the Covid period,” Kriel said, citing transport disruptions and safety concerns.
“On June 30 itself, the number of lost bookings in a single day surpassed what we typically see in a whole month.”
Migrant workers have also played an important role in South Africa’s delivery economy.
A Bloomberg report claimed that migrant workers account for about 70% of Shoprite’s Sixty60 delivery service, which has a fleet of nearly 10,000 motorcycle riders.
One Johannesburg-based Sixty60 driver from Lesotho told Bloomberg that seven of the 10 riders who started working with him in June had already left South Africa.
Another driver said customer demand had fallen as protests intensified.
Bloomberg previously reported that authorities had processed about 67,000 migrants for deportation or voluntary repatriation in the weeks following the June deadline, while Zimbabwe has reported that almost 100,000 of its citizens have returned home since late May.
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