President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on regional leaders to help tackle migration to South Africa after weeks of anti-foreigner protests forced more than 176 000 people to flee the country.<\/p>\n
The president addressed a summit of the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC)<\/a> in Durban on Monday, where he briefed leaders on what he described as the \u201cchallenge of migration\u201d.<\/p>\n Regional cooperation needed<\/p>\n \u201cWe thanked countries in our region for their understanding of the challenges that we faced and, in some respects, continue to face,\u201d Ramaphosa said as he closed the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also expressed regret at what has befallen us as a country. We expressed a wish that we should all work together to address the challenge of migration.\u201d<\/p>\n The exodus followed weeks of protests by populist groups demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave by 30 June. More than 176 000 people left in recent weeks, according to an AFP tally based on figures from African governments.<\/p>\n Protesters march to summit<\/p>\n About 300 anti-migrant protesters marched to the summit venue on Monday, calling on leaders to \u201cfetch their people\u201d. A helicopter and drones flew overhead as police on horseback and motorbikes controlled the small group.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are here to tell you to come and fetch your people who are here in South Africa illegally,\u201d said march leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, one of the figures behind the recent protests.<\/p>\n She singled out Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, whose citizens made up most of those who left. Some departed voluntarily whilst others were deported or helped out through government repatriation schemes.<\/p>\n