Xenophobia crisis worsens as Secondary School Students ask non-South African colleagues to leave

The ongoing crisis against non-South Africans took a new low this week as hundreds of learners from two high schools in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, erupted in violent protests, demanding that their colleagues who are foreign nationals should leave their schools. The unrest, which involved students from Masibambane High School and Hector Peterson High School, paralysed […]

The ongoing crisis against non-South Africans took a new low this week as hundreds of learners from two high schools in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, erupted in violent protests, demanding that their colleagues who are foreign nationals should leave their schools.

The unrest, which involved students from Masibambane High School and Hector Peterson High School, paralysed movement in parts of the area after learners abandoned classrooms and flooded major streets in large numbers.

Video footage circulating online showed groups of uniformed students chanting, running through roads and looting fruit stalls along busy routes while motorists struggled to navigate the chaos.

Police said the protest turned violent after some learners allegedly assaulted a foreign national and attacked roadside traders during the demonstration.

Authorities added that students from one of the schools hurled stones at passing vehicles, while another group reportedly targeted cars belonging to school staff members.

The protesters later advanced toward the Kraaifontein Police Station, disrupting public activities and looting shops and informal stalls along the way before security operatives intervened.

Western Cape police confirmed that Public Order Police officers were deployed to stabilise the situation and escort the learners back to their schools.

Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, said officers received reports of the protest around 8:30 a.m. after large groups of students began demonstrating over the presence of foreign nationals in schools.

“The members attended to the complaint and restored order in the area,” van Wyk said, according to local reports.

The Western Cape Education Department also acknowledged the incident, saying the unrest appeared to have started at Masibambane Secondary School before spreading to neighbouring schools and surrounding communities.

Education authorities said investigations into the disturbance had commenced, while officials continued to monitor the situation to prevent further escalation.

South Africa has witnessed recurring tensions linked to immigration in recent years, with foreign nationals frequently becoming targets during protests and outbreaks of xenophobic violence in some communities.

Wednesday’s protest has since sparked renewed concerns over growing anti-immigrant sentiments among young people and the potential impact on safety and social cohesion in schools and communities.