A statement of outrage against the weaponisation of xenophobia and the brutal and unlawful treatment of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers.

We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, express our deep outrage and condemnation at the recent heavy-handed conduct of state officials in addressing the plight and safety of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, alongside the rise of anti-migrant rhetoric fuelling vigilantism in South Africa.

The scenes of law enforcement, in some instances forcibly loading refugees and asylum seekers onto buses under the guise of "verification processes", are a gross violation of human rights and an affront to the rule of law. These are not criminals. These are human beings - refugees and asylum seekers - who sought the protection of the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal, after being unlawfully displaced and violently targeted by vigilante formations and anti-migrant groups. Instead of receiving protection, dignity and lawful assistance, they were subjected to public humiliation, intimidation, force and the denial of their most basic constitutional rights.

With local government elections on the horizon, it is deeply alarming to witness public representatives intentionally fuelling anti-migrant hostility. We condemn the ruthless exploitation of marginalised migrants for political leverage. Rather than taking accountability for deep-seated governance and economic shortcomings, leaders across the political spectrum are actively scapegoating migrants. Profound national crises - including massive...