National Shutdown Drives Foreign Service Workers Out of South Africa

Upon disembarking from a bus at a sports stadium in eastern Malawi, 26-year-old Iweni Pachulu knelt and raised his hands in prayer. He was among 60 Malawians returning home after a three-day journey to escape a wave of anti-immigrant protests in South Africa. After four years living and working as a shop clerk in Africa’s largest economy, Pachulu returned with only a plastic bag and a backpack of clothes. Following a routine health screening, he was provided travel funds to reach his home village of Machinga, located 170 kilometers away.

“I am going home literally with nothing. I don’t know where I will start from, but at least I still have my life,” he said.

“The things I was buying in South Africa, hoping that I would send them home and make some money, have been left. There was no time to assemble everything. All that was paramount was to save my life.”

Pachulu is among tens of thousands of Black African migrants who have departed South Africa in recent months—either through forced deportation or out of fear for their safety. The exodus follows widespread anti-immigrant demonstrations across major cities, where crowds marched through neighborhoods and occasionally conducted door-to-door sweeps to demand the departure of foreign nationals. Demonstrators attribute South Africa's high unemployment rates and failing public services to the presence of foreign workers.

In response to the unrest, South African authorities have intensified enforcement measures against undocumented migrants. Although officials have repeatedly warned against vigilantism, law enforcement has struggled to contain sporadic violence and looting, which have claimed at least four lives. Long considered a regional economic engine, South Africa has historically drawn migrants fleeing poverty and instability across the continent. This includes a steady influx of Zimbabwean nationals since 2000, when a controversial land reform program sparked a persistent, decades-long economic crisis.

Malawi remains among the poorest nations globally, leaving returnees with few economic prospects. Although xenophobic sentiment—primarily targeting Black African migrants—has flared up periodically in South Africa, analysts note that the recent wave of protests has been noticeably more organized and sustained.

Demonstrators contend that the government has failed to address severe economic hardship, pointing to an unemployment rate that sits at one in three. Protesters have specifically raised objections to undocumented migrants holding positions in construction, domestic work, food delivery, and hospitality, while also citing strain on public schools and healthcare facilities. Activist groups like "March and March" issued an arbitrary June 30 deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to vacate the country, sparking widespread nationwide protests that have since settled into smaller, weekly Thursday rallies.

Official census data estimates that 2.4 million foreign-born residents live in South Africa—a nation of 63 million—though government officials acknowledge the actual number of undocumented migrants may be significantly higher. In response to the tension, regional governments have facilitated mass repatriations via buses and flights: Zimbabwe reports that over 100,000 citizens have returned, alongside more than 53,000 Malawians, with additional returnee programs launched by Mozambique, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana. The sudden loss of employment directly impacts origin countries where job opportunities are scarce, interrupting critical remittance flows. Official statistics show Zimbabwean workers sent home R6.8 billion in the first half of this year alone, while South African central bank estimates indicate Malawians remitted roughly R2.1 billion in 2024. In response to the escalating humanitarian crisis and a concurrent cholera outbreak, the European Union pledged R5.6 billion on August 7 to support returning Zimbabwean nationals.

Returning migrants now face a difficult dilemma: remain in economically depressed home countries or attempt a risky return to South Africa. In Malawi, where official data is limited and remittances often move through informal channels, nearly half of the 22 million residents live below the national poverty line of 1,563 kwacha per day—less than $1 at official rates, and half that on the parallel market.

“I was working as a domestic servant, and I have been sending money back home. My plan was to construct a house,” said Grace Magombo after she got off the bus, explaining that she’d stopped selling vegetables in Malawi to join her husband in South Africa in early 2025.

“That plan has been shattered. I am back with nothing, no house of my own. I don’t have anywhere to start from,” said the mother of three boys.

Anti-immigrant sentiment has increasingly shaped South Africa's political landscape ahead of crucial local elections. Opposition parties—including ActionSA, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), and the Patriotic Alliance—have openly endorsed strict enforcement and accelerated deportations. Meanwhile, the governing African National Congress (ANC) has offered muted criticism of the demonstrations. President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation noting that he understands public frustration regarding immigration issues, while Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi highlighted that foreign workers are frequently exploited by dishonest employers. Kubayi firmly cautioned against vigilante action, noting that law enforcement has already arrested individuals involved in looting property owned by foreign investors.

“The government has not at all condoned citizens taking matters into their own hands,” said Chrispin Phiri, spokesman for South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

“We have stated at all times that this is the work of Home Affairs,” he said, adding that instances of violence were “very unfortunate.”

Research underscores a broad shift in public attitudes across South Africa. A May study by the Human Sciences Research Council revealed a steady rise in anti-immigrant sentiment since the late 2010s across nearly all income groups, except the wealthiest. Furthering these findings, an Afrobarometer survey published on August 5 showed that 32% of South Africans favor barring foreign job seekers entirely—the second-highest rate among 38 African countries surveyed, behind only Madagascar. Despite facing stark economic realities and limited opportunities at home, many returnees say the intense hostility they experienced in South Africa has permanently deterred them from returning.

“It has been two wasted years in South Africa. I will never ever set foot in that country,” Pichesi Pachulu, who travelled back on the bus with his brother Iweni, said.

“As a country, South Africa is good and full of opportunities. However, the people are bad.”

Some are less adamant. 

“If things improve, I will try my luck again. My boss in South Africa asked me to leave at least briefly, and when the storm calms, I will give it another try,” said shop-worker James Wahela, who said he’d been sending money back to his wife in a district near Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre. 

“The reality is there are more opportunities in South Africa than in Malawi. I think I will go back there one day, for the sake of the well-being of my family.”