South Africa’s government is racing to secure calm ahead of the June 30 anti-immigration protests, trying to enlist royal houses and diplomacy as groups threaten a national shutdown.
In the coming days, President Cyril Ramaphosa who has largely been silent, will meet leaders of South Africa’s traditional and royal houses as part of a broader government effort to contain rising anti-immigrant tension before Tuesday’s planned protests, the date that South Africa’s violent vigilante groups have set as an unlawful deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.
The Presidency confirmed the planned engagements on Friday but stopped short of guaranteeing the attendance of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.
“The IMC [interministerial committee] and Natjoints have already met the King on migration issues,” said Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for the president. The president will be meeting royal families on migration, but we don’t have confirmation yet that the King [Misuzulu] will be in attendance.”
The meeting follows outreach last week by the interministerial committee on migration to representatives of the royal Zulu household, after King Misuzulu called for calm amid a surge in xenophobic sentiment ahead of the deadline.
