Dozens Wounded as Anti-Mozambican Riots Engulf Western Cape

At least 34 people were wounded and dozens of Mozambican-owned businesses were torched in Mossel Bay on Thursday as anti-immigrant riots spread across the Western Cape province of South Africa. Police deployed water cannons to disperse crowds that had gathered near the town centre, officials confirmed.

Violence erupts in Mossel Bay

The unrest began early Thursday morning when a group of residents attacked a cluster of shops owned by Mozambican nationals in the Enkhuizen informal settlement, roughly 15 kilometres from Mossel Bay's central business district. By midday, the violence had spread to nearby neighbourhoods, with looters targeting Somali-owned convenience stores and Ethiopian-run restaurants. Local media footage showed smoke billowing from at least 12 burning structures as police helicopters circled overhead.

Paramedics from the Western Cape Health Department confirmed they treated 34 people for injuries ranging from lacerations to smoke inhalation. Eight patients remained in critical condition at Mossel Bay District Hospital as of Thursday evening. A municipal emergency services spokesperson told reporters the injuries could have been far worse had firefighters managed to reach the affected area earlier, but roads were blocked by burning tyres.

Who was targeted

The attacks appeared focused on Mozambican migrants, many of whom have operated small businesses in the region for years. The South African Immigration Directorate said it had received reports that at least 47 Mozambican nationals were sheltering in a local church hall by Thursday afternoon. Community leaders in the Enkhuizen settlement said several families had been dragged from their homes and beaten before neighbours intervened.

Maria Nhamuesse, a Mozambican woman who has run a fruit stall in Mossel Bay for seven years, said she arrived at her stand to find it completely burned. "They came with pangas and petrol," she told journalists outside the shelter. "My children are sleeping in the church. I have nothing left." Her account matched descriptions from at least six other displaced families gathered at the same facility.

Economic roots of the tension

The Western Cape recorded an unemployment rate of 22.6 percent in the latest quarterly figures, and local activists said competition for informal trading pitches had intensified in recent months. The Mossel Bay Business Forum, a coalition of South African-owned enterprises, released a statement acknowledging economic frustrations but explicitly condemning the violence. "We do not condone any attack on lawful business owners regardless of nationality," the statement read.

Police response under scrutiny

The South African Police Service said officers arrested 14 suspects on charges including public violence, malicious damage to property, and arson. Western Cape police commissioner Vela Mthembu confirmed the arrests during an evening briefing but declined to speculate on whether the violence was orchestrated or spontaneous. "Our units acted decisively once they were on scene," she said. "We are actively investigating the incitement element of these offences."

However, migrant advocacy groups questioned the response time. The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa released a statement noting that distress calls to police went unanswered for more than two hours before officers arrived. "This is a pattern we have seen before," said consortium director Palesa Mthethwa. "When the victims are foreigners, the response is slower and less resourced." The police service did not respond to a request for comment on the allegation.

Government reaction

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber issued a statement calling the violence "deplorable" and announcing that his department would accelerate processing of documentation for affected migrants who could verify their legal status. "No South African government can stand by while people are attacked for the crime of earning a living," he wrote on social media platform X.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde convened an emergency session of the provincial safety committee and pledged to increase visible policing in affected areas over the weekend. His office confirmed that additional officers would be redeployed from surrounding municipalities, though no exact numbers were provided. The provincial government stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, citing adequate resources to restore order through normal policing channels.

Historical pattern of xenophobic violence

This week's unrest follows a series of smaller incidents in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces over the past three months, where migrants reported attacks on their businesses and residences. South Africa experienced its worst xenophobic violence in 2008, when at least 62 people were killed and thousands displaced, many of them from Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Smaller outbreaks occurred in 2015 and again in 2019.

Analysts have noted that political rhetoric around immigration appears to have intensified ahead of the 2026 municipal elections, with several parties referencing migration in campaign materials. Dr. Sibusiso Nkosi, a researcher at the University of the Western Cape who studies intercommunal conflict, said economic anxiety was being channelled into scapegoating. "You have very high youth unemployment and politicians who find it convenient to blame foreigners rather than address structural inequality," he said in a phone interview.

What happens next

Schreiber's office said a dedicated task team would begin processing emergency permits for displaced migrants on Monday, allowing those with pending applications to legalise their status within 30 days. The Mossel Bay municipality has opened a temporary shelter at the community hall capable of housing approximately 200 people, though aid organisations say supplies are running low.

Human rights monitors are watching for signs that the violence could spread to other towns along the Garden Route. The South African Human Rights Commission said it would dispatch investigators to Mossel Bay early next week. Watch for whether provincial authorities impose any curfews and whether national opposition parties push for a parliamentary debate on immigration policy in the coming weeks.