South African schoolchildren have reportedly joined the anti-immigrant protests in their country as the June 30 deadline issued by anti-migrant groups to undocumented foreign nationals to leave looms.

An estimated 700 pupils from two high schools in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, on Wednesday took to the streets in protest, demanding the removal of foreign nationals from their schools and the country.

This comes as the Nigerian community in South Africa yesterday claimed that at least 105 Nigerians have been killed in the country in seven years amid xenophobic attacks on migrants. Protesting South Africans accuse immigrants of entering their country illegally, taking jobs, and committing crimes.

The anti-immigrant anger in the Rainbow Nation has forced some foreign nationals, including Nigerians, to seek refuge in police stations for protection after some of them had their businesses attacked by hooligans.

A viral video circulating online shows protesting pupils allegedly assaulting a foreign national during the unrest, disrupting traffic and informal traders. Video footage of the riot also shows some of the schoolchildren in uniform allegedly attacking a foreign national, stoning vehicles, and looting roadside stalls. According to Cape Argus, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and police say they are investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian community dismissed a South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) report attributed to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), which claimed that migrants were not being killed in South Africa.

In a joint statement by the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA) leader, Smart Nwobi, and his Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa counterpart, Frank Onyekwelu, the community insisted that migrants, particularly Nigerians, had been victims of fatal xenophobic incidents in South Africa.

They also alleged extra-judicial killings, mob attacks, vigilante violence, shootings, and unlawful use of force against foreigners over the years in SA. The statement said: “According to records gathered from community reports, civil society engagements, media publications, and documented incidents within migrant communities, there have been numerous cases involving the deaths of Nigerians in SA under troubling and unresolved circumstances from 2019 to date.

“Available community records indicate that in 2019, many Nigerian businesses, shops, and cars were set ablaze through mob violence in a xenophobic unrest that swept through Johannesburg, and about 12 lives were lost through direct attacks, brutality, and mob justice.

“In 2022, over 17 Nigerians reportedly lost their lives through violent attacks, vigilante-style executions, criminal assaults, and alleged brutality by security personnel, while in 2023, more than 40 Nigerians were reported dead in incidents ranging from mob violence and alleged police misconduct to unresolved violent encounters.”

According to the group, about eight Nigerians reportedly lost their lives under tragic circumstances in 2024, while in 2025, eight others similarly died in shootings, violent confrontations, and deaths in police custody. It said: “Most recently, from January 2026 to date, over 20 Nigerians have reportedly died during physical encounters involving security personnel, criminal attacks, or suspected extra-judicial actions.”