PODCAST: Why South Africa’s Anti-Migrant Protests Aren’t Going Away

Thousands joined anti-migrant protests on 30 June 2026, watched over by a massive police contingent deployed to prevent violence. The rallies, marking the culmination of weeks of protests that displaced thousands, were mostly peaceful, bar a few isolated incidents.

Professor Loren Landau (African Centre for Migration & Society, Wits University) explains the underlying dynamics: “Anti-migrant sentiments are heightened by the underlying everyday issues of service delivery. Some people are on edge.”

With Local Government Elections approaching, “more and more people are uneasy, even though most South Africans are accepting of diversity.”

Listen to the full podcast on Bloomberg’s Next Africa.

[Podcast Credit: Bloomberg’s Next Africa]