So far, five Mozambican nationals have been killed, according to a statement from South Africa’s north-eastern neighbor.
>>> Severe Storms and Intense Heat Wave Threaten Ontario and Quebec
Foreign-born migrants make up an estimated 4% of South Africa’s 62 million people, despite claims that they number as many as 15-20 million.
Many migrants work in the informal sector, as economic strain in neighboring countries has caused thousands to seek work in one of Africa’s largest economies.
Crime statistics show that only a small fraction of crimes are committed by foreigners, undermining a popular narrative by protest organizers.
But in a country with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates and where wealth is concentrated in the hands of the white minority, African migrants are sometimes treated as a scapegoat.
Authorities have been accused of responding meekly as the violence has gone largely unchecked.
"There is no place for racism, sexism, tribalism, xenophobia, Afrophobia or any other form of intolerance," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a recent forum with traditional monarchs.
Several governments, including Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda, have repatriated hundreds of their citizens before the deadline, with some still stranded in South Africa.
>>> Lauren Koslow Returns to The Young and the Restless as Jill Abbott
On social media, footage has emerged of dozens of Malawians camped in the cold outside their consulate in Johannesburg, waiting for processing and transport out of the country before the expiration of the deadline.
