Refugees in South Africa fear new attacks as September 30 deadline looms

Durban, South Africa – Bishop Raphael Bahebwa is in hiding, afraid he could be attacked for speaking out for the rights of foreigners in South Africa.“I am in hiding now because they say they are going to kill me for speaking about the rights of foreigners,” he told Al Jazeera.Bahebwa has lived in South Africa for 26 years, after arriving as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).In that time, he has watched antiforeigner sentiment flare repeatedly in the country he came to call home. But he says this year feels different.A September 30 deadline declared by March and March, an anti-immigration movement that has led protests across South Africa this year, has renewed fears of violence among migrant communities.The group has called for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa and has warned of further demonstrations if its demands are not met.For Bahebwa and other refugees in Durban, however, the distinction between documented and undocumented migrants offers little comfort. They say the hostility they experience on the streets rarely begins with a request to see their papers.Fears of renewed violenceSouth Africa will hold local government elections on ...