The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions strongly condemns the appalling resurgence of xenophobic attacks directed at Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals living and working in South Africa by vigilante groups operating under “Operation Dudula and March to March movements.”
The ZCTU notes that xenophobia has become a predictable cycle of violence that flares up regularly without any permanent intervention against its proponents. The groups claim that their actions are "anti-xenophobic, pro-law-and-order" arguing that they are solely demanding stricter immigration enforcement. They claim migrants are criminals, deal in drugs and other vices as justification for their actions. The ZCTU firmly rejects these ‘justifications’ that they are protesting high unemployment or crime, as poverty is no excuse for murder and that political and economic frustrations are being used to mask deep-seated hatred against foreign nationals.
ZCTU calls upon the South African government to implement immediate practical policing and policy safeguards to protect foreign nationals and break the annual cycle of xenophobic violence. We await to see positives from the announcement by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa when he addressed the nation on June 7, 2026, proclaiming a sweeping national crackdown on irregular migration, vowing that the state will block the planned June 30 national shutdown and will not tolerate further door-to-door intimidation following months of violent vigilante actions.
While the ZCTU applauds the current diplomatic engagement efforts by the Zimbabwe government with the South Africa it only takes internal economic changes to address the situation. South Africa also needs to be candid with Zimbabwe on its political and economic trajectory if it is serious about arresting irregular migration. As long as Zimbabwe's economic challenges persist, without meaningful jobs on the market, millions of our citizens will remain vulnerable to violence abroad. The Zimbabwean government has a constitutional and moral obligation to protect its nationals, which it can only fulfill by fixing its political and economic shortcomings that are driving away innocent citizens to make migration a choice rather than a survival necessity. The formal job market has virtually vanished, leaving millions of youth with no option but economic migration to survive. It is clear that diplomatic dialogue alone will not stop movements like Operation Dudula and March to March from harassing foreign nationals as long as the economic and political fundamentals are not fixed in the host and exporting countries.
The reality is that leaders and those in power are insulated from the practical consequences of their governance, while ordinary people pay with their lives in foreign countries leaders must acknowledge, introspect and admit that the state's monetary policies, hyperinflation, corruption and collapsing public infrastructure are the direct triggers for mass migration.
In the meantime, our government needs to ramp up efforts to immediately assist victims by putting in place a coordinated response mechanism involving legal protection, medical aid, and repatriation support.
Runesu Dzimiri
ACTING SECRETRAY-GENERAL
