MAPUTO/CAPE TOWN — The Mozambican government has announced that five of its citizens were killed in what it described as xenophobic attacks in South Africa, as anti-immigrant tensions continue to rise across parts of the country.
In a statement released late Monday, Mozambique’s government said violence erupted on Friday in the coastal town of Mossel Bay, approximately 380 kilometres east of Cape Town, leaving seven Mozambican nationals dead.
According to the statement, five of the deaths were directly linked to xenophobic attacks, while two others occurred in a road accident involving Mozambicans who were returning home.
“Regrettably, seven Mozambican citizens have died, five of them as a direct consequence of the xenophobic attacks and the other two as a result of a road accident when they were travelling in a private vehicle on their way back to Mozambique,” the government said.
However, South African police have disputed the death toll. Western Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed that two Mozambican nationals, aged 27 and 43, were killed in the Asla Park informal settlement near Mossel Bay on Friday night but declined to link the deaths directly to anti-migrant violence.
“It is not true that five people were killed,” Potelwa said, adding that investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deaths were ongoing.
The unrest in Mossel Bay is believed to be the first officially reported incident connected to a fresh wave of anti-illegal migration protests spreading across South Africa. Similar demonstrations have recently been reported in Johannesburg and Durban, where residents have accused undocumented migrants of contributing to crime and unemployment.
Local reports indicated that a protest in Asla Park escalated into violence, resulting in homes being set ablaze and forcing hundreds of residents to flee.
The Mozambican government said the attacks prompted around 300 of its citizens to voluntarily return home on Saturday. More than 500 others have since been relocated to a secure shelter in the Western Cape, with repatriation efforts already underway.
“The remaining just over 500 have since been sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape Province, and the process of their repatriation to Mozambique is already underway,” the statement noted.
Mossel Bay Mayor Dirk Kotze condemned the violence, expressing concern over the loss of lives, destruction of property and displacement of families.
“I am deeply concerned and dismayed by the current xenophobic attacks where people have been murdered, houses burned and families displaced,” he said.
South Africa, Africa’s most industrialised economy, has long attracted migrant workers from across the continent. However, recurring outbreaks of xenophobic violence have marred its social landscape, with undocumented migrants frequently blamed for economic hardships and rising crime.
The country witnessed one of its deadliest anti-immigrant outbreaks in 2008, when 62 people were killed and thousands displaced. Similar incidents occurred in 2015 and 2016.
The latest tensions come ahead of South Africa’s local government elections scheduled for November. A citizen-led group has reportedly issued a June 30 deadline demanding the removal of undocumented migrants, while reports have emerged of individuals conducting document checks and forcing foreign-owned businesses to shut down.
South African authorities have distanced themselves from such actions, insisting they are not sanctioned by the government.
The growing unrest has triggered concern across the continent. Ghana recently repatriated about 300 citizens from South Africa and is reportedly making arrangements for hundreds more. Other African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, have advised their citizens residing in South Africa to remain vigilant.
Mozambique warned that the security situation remains volatile and could deteriorate further as the June 30 deadline approaches, adding that it is implementing measures to safeguard its nationals still living in South Africa.
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