Following a public online mass meeting held on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, attended by more than 300 people representing a wide range of organisations, social movements, trade unions, community formations, activists and concerned members of the public, a national campaign has been initiated to confront the rising tide of xenophobia, Afrophobia, ethnic chauvinism, right-wing reaction and organised hate in South Africa.
The meeting was convened in response to escalating threats against migrants and vulnerable communities, including threats of coordinated action leading up to, on and after 30 June by right-wing and xenophobic formations. Participants expressed deep concern at the growth of organised street intimidation, online hate campaigns, vigilante activity and the increasing normalisation of hateful anti-migrant politics in public discourse.
This campaign, endorsed and supported by over 120 organisations, emerges from the urgent necessity to confront xenophobia, Afrophobia, ethnic chauvinism, reaction and fascist intimidation; to defend working-class unity; and to ensure that the legitimate anger of our communities is directed not against migrants and the poor, but against the political and economic elites responsible for this crisis.
South Africa’s social crisis has reached breaking point. Mass unemployment, collapsing services, corruption, hunger, crime, unaffordable transport and deepening insecurity have produced legitimate anger across working-class and poor communities. But this crisis was not created by migrants, refugees or poor people trying to survive. It was produced by those with power over society: political elites, big business, corrupt officials, profiteers and an economic system that has abandoned millions to poverty, unemployment and despair.
Xenophobia, Afrophobia, ethnic chauvinism and vigilante politics offer no way out. They will not create jobs, reopen factories, fix municipalities, end austerity or hold the powerful to account. Once scapegoating is unleashed, it does not stop at the border; it turns neighbour against neighbour, worker against worker, poor against poor. This campaign is therefore rooted in the urgent need to organise the anger of communities away from division and toward the real causes of the crisis.
Supporting and endorsing organisations unite under this campaign on the basis of the following principles:
1. We reject xenophobia, Afrophobia, racism, tribalism, ethnic chauvinism and all forms of scapegoating. No community can be liberated by turning on another oppressed community. No worker can advance by attacking another worker.
2. We defend the unity of all who are exploited, impoverished and excluded under the current system. South African workers, migrant workers, unemployed people, informal traders, shack dwellers, women, youth, students and poor communities have a common interest in fighting the unjust conditions imposed on them.
3. We recognise the legitimate anger of working-class and poor communities. People are right to be angry about unemployment, crime, corruption, hunger, collapsing services and the cost of living. But that anger must be directed at the real causes of the crisis and at those who hold political and economic power over society, not at vulnerable people with the least power.
4. We oppose vigilante violence, intimidation and fascist methods. There is nothing democratic, progressive or community-minded about pulling children out of schools, blocking people from clinics, threatening informal traders, attacking migrants or terrorising communities.
5. We fight for jobs, services, dignity and justice for all. The answer to the crisis is not deportation, scapegoating or street thuggery. The answer is decent work, functioning municipalities, quality public services, an end to austerity, accountability for corruption, investment in communities, and an economy that serves people before profit.
6. We build solidarity from below. Our strength lies in organised communities, workplaces, campuses, faith formations, social movements, trade unions, migrant organisations, youth formations, civics and all democratic forces acting together.
Workers, communities, faith organisations, students, youth formations, social movements, trade unions, migrant organisations, civics and all democratic forces are called on to join this campaign and help build local structures of solidarity, safety, political education and collective action.
Where vulnerable communities are threatened, solidarity must become practical. Where hatred is spread, it must be answered with truth and organisation. Where vigilante violence is normalised, democratic forces must respond with disciplined, peaceful and collective action.
Public leaders and the media must stop legitimising xenophobic narratives and vigilante politics as “community activism”. Public debate must be grounded in facts, accountability and human dignity, with space given to migrant organisations, working-class formations, community movements, trade unions and democratic organisations of the poor who have long been organising and fighting for real solutions to unemployment, poverty, corruption, collapsing services and social decay.
The attempts made by formations such as March and March, Operation Dudula, and political parties and actors including ActionSA, the MKP and the Patriotic Alliance, to present xenophobic scapegoating as the commanding voice of communities is entirely dishonest. These forces do not speak for the millions of workers, unemployed people, migrants, youth, women, informal traders, shack dwellers and poor communities struggling every day for jobs, land, housing, services, safety and dignity.
Throughout June and beyond, people across South Africa are called on to demonstrate, organise, march, hold community meetings, conduct political education, build local solidarity structures and take visible action against xenophobia, Afrophobia, ethnic chauvinism, fascist intimidation, austerity, unemployment and collapsing public services.
This campaign is a call to draw the line against division, against fear, and against the working class and poor being turned against themselves while those responsible for the crisis remain untouched.
The answer to division is solidarity. The answer to fear is organisation. Solidarity is our defence.
Unity is our power.
Siyafana Sonke!
Endorsed By:
1. #sharp ecosocialist collective
2. 1to1 Agency of Engagement
3. Abahlali base Freedom Park
4. ACT Ubumbano
5. Actionaid DRC
6. Actionaid South Africa
7. Active Citizens Movement (ACM)
8. Adhoc Committee of Musicians (AHCOM)
9. AFRICA DIASPORA PASTORS FORUM (ADPF)
10. Africa Revival Foundation (ARF)
11. African Diaspora Workers Network (ADWN)
12. African Solidarity Network
13. African Water Commons Collective (AWCC)
14. African Workers Forum
15. Afrika Awake
16. Aid Life Learn Environment (ALLEN)
17. amandla.mobi
18. Amis BK Support Group
19. Black intellectual Praxes (BIP)
20. Cape Provinces Foundation NPO
21. Cape Town Ulama Board (CTUB)
22. Casual Workers Advice Office
23. Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change NPC
24. Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA)
25. Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
26. Centre for Urbanism and Built Environment Studies (CUBES)
27. Chronicles of Refugees and Immigrants
28. Congolese Civil Society of South Africa
29. Econo-Dev Consulting (Pty) Ltd
30. Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA (EJN)
31. Empowerment Hub
32. Equal Education (EE)
33. Essa and Fatima Moosa Foundation
34. Fossil Ad Ban Campaign
35. Foundation for Human Rights (FHR)
36. Gateways Services Africa Foundation
37. General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA)
38. Green Future Social and Environmental Justice Network
39. Greenpeace Africa
40. Housing Assembly
41. Human Rights Media Trust
42. Ikhwezi Labantu
43. Infectious Disease and Oncology Research Institute
44. Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa
45. Institute for Economic Justice
46. International Labour, Research & Information Group (ILRIG)
47. International Socialist Movement (ISM)
48. Intouch Youth Development and Community Justice
49. Jobs Bloodbath Campaign Committee
50. Joburg Community Action Network (JoburgCAN)
51. Journeys to Remember
52. Kensington Palestine Solidarity Group
53. Khulumani Support Group
54. Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX)
55. Landless People’s Movement
56. Laudium Women’s Network
57. Lawyers for Human Rights
58. Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA WAMUA YAMUA)
59. Magamba Network
60. Majara Media Monitoring
61. Makana Citizens Front (MCF)
62. Makause Community Development Forum (MACODEFO)
63. Marxist Worker’s Party (MWP)
64. Meadowlands Community Forum (MCF)
65. Merweville Advice and Development Office (MADO)
66. Metsimaholo Community Advice Office
67. Mothers4Gaza
68. MyVoteCounts
69. Ndungu Attorneys Inc
70. New Unity Movement
71. No-name initiative (NNI)
72. Ntirhisano Community Centre (NCC)
73. Nyema Foundation
74. OCTOPI Africa
75. Organising Committee For The Mass Working Class Assembly (OC-MWCA)
76. Palestine Support Organisation, Mandela University
77. Palestinian Solidarity Organisation
78. Partners in Praxis
79. People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)
80. People’s Water Forum
81. PHA Food and Farming campy
82. Pretoria Women United
83. ProBono.Org
84. Progressive Tamil Movement (PTM)
85. Project 90 by 2030
86. Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM)
87. Quest For Growth and Development Foundation
88. REFUGEE SOCIAL SERVICES
89. Region F Civil Society Partnership
90. Rent Control Group
91. Rivonia Circle
92. Rivoningo Women’s Forum
93. Save Our Sacred Lands (SOSL)
94. Secretariat of the Climate Justice Coalition (CJC)
95. Sisonke Revolutionary Movement (SRM)
96. Siyagunda Association
97. Socialist Party of Azania (SOPA)
98. Socialist Youth Movement (SYM)
99. Solidarity Action Committee Collective
100. Sonke Gender Justice
101. South Africa Palestine Movement (SAPM)
102. South Africa Palestine Movement Youth Committee
103. South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU)
104. South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP)
105. South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
106. Southern Africa Refugee Organizations Forum (SAROF)
107. Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute (SAFCEI)
108. The Community Hope Project
109. The Global Interfaith Network for People of All Sexes, Sexual Orientations, Gender
Identities and Expressions
110. The Mosu Collective
111. Treatment Action Campaign (TAC)
112. Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education
113. Tshwaraganang Ma-Africa
114. Ubuntu Rural Women and Youth Movement
115. UCT Migration and Mobility Hub
116. United Front (UF)
117. Village of Hope (VOH)
118. Voices Against Eviction
119. Vusikasilam
120. Wage Peace
121. Wasatiyah Institute
122. Water Crisis Committee
123. Water Community Action Network (WaterCAN)
124. We Are Church
125. We Will Speak Out South Africa Coalition (WWSOSA)
126. Western Cape Anti Eviction Campaign (WCAEC)
127. Whole World Women Association
128. Women In Diaspora Association (WIDA)
129. Women Revolutionary Council
130. WoMin African Alliance
131. Workers and Socialist Party (WASP)
132. Workers International Vanguard League (WIVL)
133. World March of Women
134. Young Christian Students
135. Zabalaza for Socialism (ZASO)