Immigrant Delivery Drivers Too Scared To Enter Soweto
Immigrant delivery drivers say they have been attacked, robbed and chased away in Soweto, Thokoza and parts of Johannesburg, with some now refusing to deliver to these areas altogether.
The attacks represent a disturbing new front in the anti-immigrant tensions that erupted in October, moving from spaza shops and street vendors to the gig economy workers who deliver food and parcels to township residents.
“NEVER COME BACK”
One Malawian driver described being stopped by a group of men in Soweto who took his food order and his phone before issuing a chilling warning.
“They took everything and told me never to come back to Soweto,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety. “I have not delivered there since. I cannot risk my life for a delivery fee.”
Other drivers reported similar experiences. Some said they have been chased away from malls and on roads leading into townships by anti-immigrant vigilante groups. A Zimbabwean driver said he was assaulted in Thokoza and had his motorcycle damaged.
“I used to deliver in Soweto every day. Now I refuse. It is not worth it,” he said.
FEAR OF POLICE, NOT JUST VIGILANTES
Compounding the problem, drivers say they do not report incidents to the police because officers allegedly ask undocumented drivers for bribes.
“When you go to the police station, they ask for your papers. If you don’t have them, they want money,” said one driver. “So we just keep quiet and lose our money and our phones. What can we do?”
The allegation of police demanding bribes from undocumented immigrants is a serious one, and it raises questions about trust between law enforcement and migrant communities.
IMPACT ON DELIVERY SERVICES
The attacks have disrupted delivery services in affected areas. Some drivers now refuse orders destined for Soweto, Thokoza, and parts of Johannesburg, leaving residents without access to food delivery and courier services.
A restaurant owner in Orlando West said deliveries to his area had become unreliable.
“Customers order, but the drivers don’t want to come. We lose business. The community suffers too,” he said.
CONTEXT: ANTI-IMMIGRANT TENSIONS
The attacks on delivery drivers follow a wave of anti-immigrant violence that erupted on 8 October, when 10 cars were torched in Soweto and 14 in Durban during protests outside Home Affairs offices.
The unrest was fuelled by misinformation about a Constitutional Court ruling on asylum applications. Vigilante groups, including the Soweto Uprising movement, have since gone door-to-door demanding that foreign spaza shop owners leave.
The violence has spread beyond shopkeepers to anyone perceived as foreign, including delivery drivers who are simply trying to earn a living.
A COMMUNITY DIVIDED
The situation has left the community divided. Some residents support the anti-immigrant campaigns, arguing that foreign nationals take jobs and resources that should go to South Africans.
Others are horrified by the violence and intimidation.
“These drivers are just working. They are not stealing from anyone. They deliver our food,” said a Soweto resident who asked not to be named. “What is happening to us as a community?”
