Makungwa decided to flee after a compatriot was assaulted by seven men, leaving behind his two-month-old son who lacked travel documents.
"They said the deadline is the 30th, so they will attack me if I stay," he added.
In a nearby makeshift camp for Zimbabwean families, Lydia Mpingashato faced eviction and job termination because her landlord feared retaliation for hosting immigrants.
"He said he would burn my house and kill my family," she recalled, after receiving threats at a township transport hub on June 27.
"Now I have no plan; I'm just going home to be safe."
>>> Florida Panthers Shift Goaltending Strategy as Sergei Bobrovsky Hits Free Agency
Many South African citizens attribute high crime rates and unemployment to the presence of foreign nationals.
The South African Human Rights Commission noted that xenophobia typically surfaces where economic insecurity, weak governance, and poor migration management intersect.
Census data from 2022 indicates South Africa hosts roughly 2.4 million foreigners, both documented and undocumented.
The nation has a history of immigration-related unrest, including 2008 riots that killed 62 people and 2015 attacks that left five dead.
The government responded by intensifying law enforcement, reporting over 50,000 arrests of undocumented migrants since January.
President Cyril Ramaphosa met with protest organizers to deliver a firm warning against vigilantism.
A heavy security presence, including police helicopters and armored vehicles, monitored the demonstrations.
While organizers advocated for peace, some marchers gestured threateningly toward apartment windows where foreign families watched. "I can smell the foreigners," a man holding a shield remarked.
