Protest in South Africa against ‘illegal’ migrant workers

The anti-migrant sentiment is on the rise in South Africa. Nearly about 2000 people demonstrated against what they described as illegal migrant workers in Heilbron near cape town. The protests are part of an operation called Dadula which stands for the drive back in the Zulu language. Now the movement has recently gained traction in the country plagued by record unemployment and also poverty has been worsened by coverage. In recent weeks cause of protest has been staging demonstrations against undocumented migrants. 

The protesters turned up in a mob of 700 at a migrant center in South Africa's Soweto township. Last weekend the same movement had held a protest outside of a supermarket, they were demanding the sacking of foreign workers employed there and these are the people who are extremely angry with foreigners. They are accused of taking their jobs competition for jobs has of course spawned a lot of resentment amongst predominantly the jobless youth in the country. Unemployment in South Africa is currently at 35 and is rising to nearly about 65 percent amongst the youth. Now in the past xenophobic protests have largely culminated into violence. 

In 2008 attacks against foreigners left at least about 62 people dead while another seven were killed in similar such unrest in 2015. In 2019 armed mobs descended onto foreign-owned businesses around the financial hub of Johannesburg. Now the ensuing clashes left at least about 12 people dead. However, the Dradula movement leaders say that this is a very pacifist kind of movement. Now one of the leaders who are of course leading this operation has said that he's simply seeking to restore law and order. Now according to the police sources, law enforcement is of course keeping an eye on these demonstrations. 

Earlier this week president Cyril Ramaphosa had said that the authorities were very closely watching pockets of groupings at the beginning of the month the government also said that it is working on a law to install some kind of a quarter system for foreign workers in South African companies. In a country that follows about 60 million people, there are almost about 3.9 million foreigners including political refugees. Human rights watchers said that foreigners are often made the escape votes for the internal problems of south Africa which happen to be one of the world's most unequal societies.