Online threats and insults fuel South Africa's anti-foreigner sentiment

This is occurring amidst an unofficial demand for undocumented immigrants to leave the country by June 30. Thousands of foreign nationals from Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Malawi have already left. The ultimatum, which lacks legal basis, has gained traction through protests, threats, and a social media campaign that analysts say has been developing for years.

Activist Tino Maclean noted the traumatizing effect of online threats, while experts from Murmur Intelligence found that a small number of active accounts and networks are disproportionately generating anti-immigrant content. This content includes videos with captions like "June 30, I can't wait" and images of the date with bullet holes. Disinformation, such as falsely presented attack videos and AI-generated government notices, has also been prevalent.

Public works minister Dean Macpherson called on police to act against groups inciting violence online. Police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe confirmed that intelligence officers are monitoring social media. TikTok banned the account of Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, a prominent figure in the movement, though her other social media accounts remain active.

Murmur Intelligence co-founder Kyle Findlay stated that South Africa's "modern xenophobic movement" has been intentionally built over the past six years, fueled by an