Overcrowding, Anger, and a Misplaced Target
The immediate trigger was overcrowding at the only public primary school in Durban’s Point area. Addington Primary operates at full capacity, with 1,548 learners enrolled. Protesters claimed that more than 50 South African children had been denied placement because spaces were allegedly taken by children of undocumented foreigners. Parents say they have waited since April 2025 for a resolution, frustration hardening into rage.
But official figures undermine that narrative. According to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, 968 of the school’s 1,548 learners, nearly 63 per cent, are South African citizens. The claim that migrant children are “monopolising” places is vastly overstated. Facts, however, did little to calm tempers.
Escalation at the School Gates
Tensions first flared on 14 January after protesters arrived at the school gates to demand priority admissions for South African children. Foreign parents, whose children were already enrolled and who insisted on a “first come, first served” admissions process, gathered to defend their children’s right to education. A brief lull followed, but protests reignited with greater intensity on 21 January.
That day, police deployed tear gas and water cannons as demonstrators clashed with parents protecting their children. Some pupils required police escorts to reach their classrooms. Others stayed home the following day, too frightened to attend. One parent told local reporters she kept her six-year-old at home because “no child should need police to go to school.”
Dangerous Rhetoric, Familiar Patterns
Protest leaders framed the dispute as a “war” against illegal immigration. Operation Dudula has led similar actions across Gauteng and Pretoria, portraying foreign nationals as a strain on public resources and, in extreme claims, accusing schools of becoming “hubs for human trafficking.” Chants of “South Africa cannot carry the whole of Africa” echoed a nationalist rhetoric that has proved lethal in the past.
South Africa’s history of xenophobic violence looms large. In 2008, attacks left more than 60 people dead. Further waves in 2015 and 2019 forced thousands to flee their homes. Against that backdrop, protests that target children, arguably the most vulnerable, represent a frightening escalation.
The Law and the Facts
Legally, the issue is clearer than protesters suggest. The Constitution of South Africa guarantees the right of all children within its borders to basic education, irrespective of immigration status. In line with this, the Department of Basic Education permits undocumented children to enrol using sworn affidavits, a measure designed to prevent exclusion from schooling. Protesters argue that this practice conflicts with the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, which they interpret as requiring study visas for foreign learners. Government officials, on their part, maintain that constitutional rights supersede administrative and statutory regulations, and that no child may be denied access to basic education.
Foreign parents at Addington Primary said they had paid required school fees and complied with enrolment processes, disputing claims that they were unfairly benefiting from public resources. Counter-protesters, including some South African supporters, called for inclusive admissions and increased investment in public schools. Their voices were largely drowned out by placards and chants demanding “South Africans first.”
Politics at Play
The presence of organised political groups complicates claims that this is merely spontaneous parental frustration. Members of the African National Congress who attempted dialogue were heckled and accused of “selling out,” while MK Party supporters appeared in party regalia. The coordination suggests a broader nationalist campaign, one willing to use schools as political stages.
Education experts warn of lasting harm. Schools are meant to be safe spaces for learning, not battlegrounds for political disputes. Exposing learners to hostility and violence at such a young age can leave psychological scars, undermining trust in institutions meant to protect children.
A Stark Double Standard
The hypocrisy is difficult to ignore. African governments and commentators have been quick to condemn harsh immigration policies in the United States and Europe. Yet here, on African soil, African children are targeted because of their parents’ nationality. The double standard is uncomfortable and revealing.
By 22 January, police declared the situation “under control,” though protesters vowed to continue picketing. Further demonstrations were planned for 23 January, and similar South Africa anti-migrant school protests have surfaced elsewhere, pointing to a coordinated national campaign rather than an isolated incident.
The Real Solutions
South Africa’s challenges are real. Public schools are widely acknowledged to be overcrowded, resources are under strain, and unemployment remains high. Many citizens say they feel abandoned by government policy, and those grievances warrant serious attention. But directing that anger at children crosses a moral line that should never be breached.
Unplaced South African pupils also deserve better. Their education has been interrupted while adults battle in the streets. The answer lies in expanding educational capacity, improving infrastructure, and delivering effective governance, not in expelling foreign children who hold the same constitutional right to learn.
When school gates become sites of ethnic hostility, when children need police protection to attend class, something has gone profoundly wrong. South Africa cannot credibly criticise immigration crackdowns abroad while tolerating xenophobic mob action at home. The children caught in this manufactured crisis deserve protection, compassion, and the education guaranteed to them by law. Anything short of that betrays the values the country claims to uphold.
