South Africa: Driven home by anti-migrant protests

LUSAKA – The escalating tide of anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa has compelled numerous Zambian nationals to abandon their established lives and businesses, returning home to face an uncertain future. Among those deeply affected are Glenda Banda and Margaret Mulenga, whose poignant stories illustrate the profound human cost of xenophobia, forcing them to rebuild their lives from the ground up in Zambia. Glenda Banda, a young mother, recounted the harrowing experience of crossing back into Zambia with her infant strapped to her back, carrying little more than the clothes she wore. Her journey marked an abrupt end to years of striving to build a better life in South Africa, where she had established a small but promising business. The rising hostility, often manifesting in violent protests and intimidation tactics, made her continued stay untenable, forcing her to make the painful decision to leave everything behind for the safety of her family. Her return to Zambia signifies not just a physical relocation but a complete disruption of her economic stability and future aspirations. Similarly, Margaret Mulenga, another Zambian national, shared a parallel narrative of loss and displacement. Mulenga, who had invested years in cultivating a thriving enterprise in South Africa, found herself in an impossible situation as anti-migrant campaigns intensified. The constant threat of violence, coupled with the systemic challenges faced by foreign entrepreneurs, eroded her ability to operate her business securely. Her decision to return to Zambia was not voluntary but a desperate measure to escape an increasingly hostile environment, leaving behind significant investments and a community she had grown to be a part of. These individual stories are not isolated incidents but reflect a broader pattern of forced repatriation among Zambians and other foreign nationals residing in South Africa. The socio-economic pressures within South Africa, exacerbated by high unemployment