South Africa migrant population ~4%
Migrants make up roughly 4% of South Africa's population, far lower than comparable proportions in Britain, but anti-migrant sentiment is intense.
Snapshot · The Rest Is Politics
549. Mamdani’s Wrecking Ball and the Rise of Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
Explore episode
Jul 1, 2026
Where this was said
South Africa's Anti-Migrant Vigilante Crisis
At 25:30 · chapter starts 24:50
Richard Cohen, a South African living in London, asks what to make of anti-immigration groups Operation Dudula and March and March, which set a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave — a deadline with no legal status, but which has already displaced tens of thousands. Rory Stewart contextualises: migrants represent only about 4% of South Africa's population (compared to about 17% in Britain), most coming from neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe. He notes that most of the world's migrants are actually hosted in Africa and Asia, not Europe — a frequently overlooked fact. [1] — Rory Stewart "Vigilante groups Operation Dudula and March and March issued a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, with no le…" 24:50 The most alarming element, he argues, is the vigilante dimension: militia groups mounting what he calls pogroms against migrants, a dynamic that in a 1930s context would be called Brownshirts. Alastair Campbell identifies the structural driver — massive youth unemployment in South Africa — and the information environment: these campaigns are built on misinformation, and one may be backed by pro-Russian actors seeking to expand Russian energy into South Africa. Displaced migrants are reduced to sheltering outside foreign embassies.
South Africa's Vigilante Pogrom: A Global Warning Sign
Vigilante groups Operation Dudula and March and March issued a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, with no legal standing whatsoever. Tens of thousands have been displaced. Rory Stewart compared it to the Brownshirts of the 1930s — and noted that one of the campaigns may be backed by pro-Russian interests seeking to expand Russian energy into South Africa.
Anti-migrant deadline with no legal status
South African vigilante groups Operation Dudula and March and March set a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, despite the deadline having no legal status.
Similar snapshots
22 categories of intrinsic values
Greenberg's research mapped all human intrinsic values and found they cluster into 22 categories, including longevity, connection, nature, and spirituality.
Suppression ≠ strength
Performing composure is not the same as having composure — emotionally sensitive people who suppress their feelings are acting a role, not resolving the underlying feeling.
Sensitivity = input; emotional intelligence = output
Emotional sensitivity is the raw input signal and emotional intelligence is the cultivated output — meaning sensitivity is a prerequisite for high EQ, not an obstacle to it.
Emotionally avoidant men often secretly sensitive
Men who appear emotionally avoidant are frequently emotionally sensitive individuals who were never given tools or permission to explore their sensitivity, so they default to withdrawal.
Ghosting triggers 'I am insufficient' narrative
Being ghosted is particularly damaging for sensitive people because their brain doesn't interpret it as the relationship ending — it interprets it as evidence of personal insufficiency.
Kierkegaard coined 'anxiety' 60+ years before Freud
Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety as 'the dizziness of freedom' predates Freud's psychological framework by roughly 60 years, yet modern research has since validated his core claims about commitment and identity.
Americans gained 24 extra hours/month alone (2003–2020)
Between 2003 and 2020, Americans accumulated roughly 24 extra hours per month spent alone — the equivalent of a part-time job's worth of isolation, and that's before the pandemic.
Median marriage age rose 6–8 years per gender since 1970s
Median age at first marriage climbed from 21 (women) and 23 (men) in the 1970s to nearly 29 (women) and 30 (men) today — a rise of 6–8 years per gender, extending the 'emerging adulthood' liminal phase.
SF average rent up 18% in 2 years
San Francisco's average rent rose 18% over the past two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City as the most expensive rental market in the country.
