PIETERMARITZBURG, KWAZULU-NATAL — The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD) asserts that migrants are being unfairly scapegoated for South Africa’s economic challenges, emphasizing that the nation’s pressing issues stem from deeper structural problems rather than foreign nationals, while also calling for an end to xenophobia.
Sibusiso Mboto, a spokesperson for the organization, explained that the current wave of anti-illegal immigration protests must be understood within a historical context, drawing parallels to the xenophobic attacks of 2008 and the current climate in 2026. According to Mboto, while it is understandable that poorer South Africans feel frustrated and believe undocumented foreign nationals are accessing benefits meant for citizens, this narrative ignores the reality of vulnerable people from across the continent simply trying to forge a better life for their families.
Instead of targeting immigrants, Mboto pointed to a severe lack of state investment, weak economic growth, and inequality as the true drivers of poverty and poor service delivery. He highlighted the economic decline of historically vibrant hubs, noting that Pietermaritzburg was once a thriving center for the shoe manufacturing industry and home to major employers like Rainbow Chicken. Similarly, he pointed to the Eastern Cape, where the car manufacturing industry used to thrive, and the collapse of the national railway sector. Previously, rail efficiently transported goods between Durban and Johannesburg, reducing road congestion, but the current reliance on trucks highlights the state’s failure to invest in public infrastructure.
The spokesperson also criticized government fiscal mismanagement, pointing to “fiscal dumping” where budgets are not spent properly on concrete programs at the end of the financial year. He noted that underspending in critical sectors such as health and education has left rural communities struggling to access basic water and electricity. Mboto referenced municipalities and government departments appearing before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, where evidence often shows that public funds are not properly utilized, directly resulting in inaccessible goods and services.
Addressing the immediate humanitarian crisis, Mboto referenced the ongoing situation in Sherwood, Durban, where thousands of Malawian nationals have been forced to camp in an open field, relying on water tankers for survival. He stressed that such conditions are unsustainable and emphasized that the movement of people in search of better prospects is a global phenomenon, with South Africa historically viewed as a land of opportunity.
When asked about the ongoing repatriation efforts, Mboto described the issue as a “two-way street.” He affirmed that the organization supports the prosecution and repatriation of any foreign nationals found to be in the country illegally and involved in criminal activities, noting that this is standard practice worldwide. However, he firmly condemned any violence directed at foreign nationals and insisted that the state must first ensure that South African citizens are properly cared for and can access essential goods and services without feeling they are in competition with undocumented immigrants.
Mboto concluded by challenging the government to prove its competence and address the real causes of economic exclusion. He argued that if all undocumented individuals were removed and criminal elements deported, yet public services still failed due to corruption, it would definitively prove that immigration has merely been used as a scapegoat. Highlighting that the country is facing the same service delivery crises in 2026 as it did in 2016 and 2008, he called for deep state introspection. He urged the government to move beyond empty words, establish strict accountability, protect jobs, and foster regional economic cooperation to build a properly capacitated state that serves all its people.
