South Africa: State Spent R600m to Contain 30 June Xenophobic Action - Law Enforcement Could Have Prevented It

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a GroundUp article by Sharon Ekambaram dated 30 July 2026, reported that Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX) is taking the South African state to court over its response to xenophobic vigilantism around a 30 June 2026 deadline announced by anti-migrant groups. The article says the deadline had no legal standing and was publicly rejected by government, but still led many foreign-owned spaza shops to close and left migrants and some South Africans fearful of attacks or document checks by private actors.

According to the report, KAAX argues that law enforcement failed to prevent foreseeable unlawful conduct, including unauthorised workplace raids, shop closures, looting and street-level demands for identity papers. The article says the state allocated more than R600 million for security operations involving SAPS, SANDF, metro police, intelligence structures and private security. It also says authorities opened more than 200 criminal cases and made about 350 arrests linked to vigilante conduct.

The article highlights KAAX’s claim that immigration enforcement is legally reserved for authorised officials, citing government statements and a recent high court ruling on who may demand proof of status under the Immigration Act. It also describes racial profiling concerns, including a 26 June march by members of the Vatsonga Machangani Association of South Africa to the South African Human Rights Commission.

In Durban’s eThekwini municipality, the report says refugees who sought protection at a police station were later dispersed with rubber bullets and tear gas and sheltered at the Diakonia Centre. KAAX is seeking court relief requiring the state to restrict immigration enforcement to lawful officials and protect people in South Africa from xenophobic violence.