Four days ago, Mozambican immigrant Lado Amido answered a knock at his door in the South African town of Kleinmond.
Outside, an angry crowd told him foreigners including Nigerians had to leave. They went door-to-door delivering the same message. Now over 1,000 Nigerians have indicated they want to return home.

Amido and others like him fled and spent two nights in the mountains. Now he is sheltering ‌in a local town hall, like other immigrants from Malawi and Mozambique across South Africa’s Western Cape province, forced to hide from anti-immigrant mobs in several coastal towns.

Every day for more than two weeks, Aduke Balogun, a Nigerian has prayed for her daughter’s safe return.

South Africa has seen a wave of anti-immigrant protests, which have sometimes turned violent, in recent weeks. Mozambique said five of its citizens were killed in xenophobic attacks in the town of Mossel Bay over the weekend.
Amido lives in Kleinmond, about 300 km (186 miles) away.

“On the 31st, people came to my house, knocked on the door, and then took ⁠all my belongings,” said the 49-year-old, who had been in South Africa since February looking for work.

In Kleinmond town hall he is with about 100 other immigrants, some of whom are hoping to join voluntary repatriation programmes set up by their governments.

Xenophobic attacks are a recurring problem in South Africa, where immigrants are often blamed for economic woes such as high unemployment and crime.

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Despite the absence of any evidence for this claim, politicians from nearly all parties have tended to lend it credence in an effort to score populist votes ahead of elections, such as the local polls coming up at year end.

“As we work to build a safer … and more prosperous society, we need to address the challenge of migration,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told parliament on Tuesday, while also condemning recent ‌xenophobic violence.
Grant ⁠Cohen, a ward councillor for Kleinmond, said that immigration authorities had visited the town in recent weeks to check restaurants and other businesses for undocumented workers.

At least 1,094 Nigerians have registered interest in voluntary return from ‌South Africa following xenophobic attacks, up from 130 previously seeking repatriation, with a joint screening process under way to determine eligibility, Nigerian foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said on ⁠Friday.

The screening by foreign ministry officials from both countries and South African immigration and police will conclude on Saturday, with only those cleared to be repatriated and final numbers and flights set thereafter, Ebienfa told Reuters.
South African authorities have agreed to waive penalties for visa ‌violations ⁠such as overstays, though individuals facing criminal charges will not be eligible to leave, Ebienfa said.

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Nigeria submitted its list for clearance ahead of Ghana, ⁠but Ghana was prioritised, Ebienfa said, adding Ethiopia is next after Nigeria, with repatriation logistics to be ⁠set once screening is complete.
Nigeria has condemned violence against its citizens in South Africa, ⁠including the deaths of two nationals allegedly assaulted by security officials.