Posts about South African anti-migrant protests resurface 2019 video
- Published on July 2, 2026 at 15:05
- 3 min read
- By Tendai DUBE, AFP South Africa
In the week that thousands joined anti-migrant protests across South Africa, posts circulated online claiming to show foreigners in Johannesburg organising themselves into self-defence units. But one video, frequently reposted in a misleading context over the years, actually shows South African police officers defusing protests by street traders in 2019.
“Foreign nationals in Johannesburg have formed self defense units to fight off South Africans should things get out of hand tomorrow (sic),” reads an X post published on June 29, 2026 — one day before an unofficial deadline imposed by anti-migrant groups demanding the repatriation of undocumented foreigners.
In the 30-second clip filmed from overhead, police officers can be seen retreating from a large group of people pelting them with rocks.
The account, “@PatrioticMedia1”, has been posting inflammatory content in the latest bout of unrest targeting foreigners in South Africa.
The video in the misleading posts has often resurfaced online during such violent flare-ups.
South Africa 2026
The post circulated in the week that thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of South Africa, protesting against the presence of undocumented foreign nationals (archived here).
The protests are a culmination of months of demonstrations by citizen-led xenophobic groups – and supported by some political parties – which set an unofficial deadline of June 30 for foreigners without permits to leave.
Police presence was boosted in hotspots to ward off looting and xenophobic violence that has so far claimed four lives.
However, the clip is unrelated to anti-migrant unrest in 2026.
Hawkers protest
AFP debunked the video in 2024 after social media users falsely linked it to Nigerians celebrating a win over South Africa in the semifinals of the AFCON 2024 football tournament.
It was also debunked by Reuters news agency in 2020, after it circulated alongside false claims that it showed a protest against Covid-19 vaccines (archived here).
Our evidence in 2024 showed the original footage was part of a news report by South African broadcaster eNCA. A video of the broadcast was published on YouTube in 2019 (archived here).
Titled “Joburg CBD unrest”, the eNCA footage matches the recirculating clip. Identical features include armoured police vehicles, red and green roofs, and a red sign.
AFP geolocated the incident to Rahima Moosa Street (formerly Jeppe) using the red "Joburg Mall" and the blue "Pan Africa Mall" signs on the right, as well as a lighter blue building on the left side of the street.
On August 1, 2019, South African police said a large crowd of foreign nationals attacked members of various law enforcement agencies with objects, including bricks and petrol bombs (archived here).
This was during an “operation targeting counterfeit goods in the Johannesburg central business district”.
“Due to the volatility of the situation, police retreated to avoid a situation where they would be forced to use live ammunition,” read the police statement. “Of priority at this point was ensuring that there was no bloodshed or death.”
Xenophobic violence
South Africa has a history of unrest against foreigners, similar to the current protests, characterised by violent demonstrations (archived here).
South Africa attracts migrant labour from the continent, but it is grappling with an unemployment rate above 32 percent, high crime and a breakdown in services in many areas (archived here).
Experts have told AFP that online threats and disinformation have amplified fears surrounding this latest wave of unrest and helped mobilise anti-immigrant sentiment (archived here).
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