The South African government says more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since it launched a "migration management" campaign five weeks ago, marking one of the country's largest crackdowns on undocumented migrants in years. The move follows weeks of anti-immigration protests marked by violence, intimidation and looting, with demonstrators demanding tighter border controls and blaming migrants for high unemployment, rising crime and failing public services. The campaign matters both for its scale and for the tensions it has exposed, with the UN warning against scapegoating migrants for the country's broader socioeconomic problems.

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced on Sunday that 53,499 foreign nationals had been processed for deportation and repatriation, most of them Malawians, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans. She said the process had also helped catch people wanted by police, but cautioned protesters against carrying out unauthorised searches of homes and businesses. Protesters had set an unofficial 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, prompting countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya to fly citizens home, while President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged public concerns but condemned attacks on migrants and warned against people taking the law into their own hands.