South African universities must resist political attacks on foreign academics and students as anti-migrant sentiment continues to ramp up across the country, experts have warned.
Since June, anti-immigration marches and demonstrations have been taking place across South Africa, prompting the government to launch a crackdown on undocumented migrants, with over 50,000 foreigners processed for deportation in July.
Legal migrants have reportedly also been targeted by demonstrators, while universities have been caught up in the anti-immigration sentiment.
In June, a parliamentary higher education committee accused universities of being too reliant on foreign academics, despite ongoing public investment to grow the pipeline of local scholars.
According to government figures, foreign nationals accounted for 7.74 per cent of the post-school education workforce in 2024.
