{"id":83558,"date":"2026-06-22T17:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees"},"modified":"2026-06-22T18:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:19:55","slug":"no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees","title":{"rendered":"No Refuge for \u2018Xenophobia\u2019 Escapees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>As tensions build ahead of the controversial June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, Botswana has made it clear that it cannot afford to become a sanctuary for foreigners fleeing attacks in South Africa.<\/b><\/p>\n

Botswana, a country facing economic headwinds and growing demands for jobs and social services from citizens, has taken a position that migrants fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa those crossing into Botswana for refuge will not be treated as refugees but assisted to return to their countries of origin.<\/p>\n

In an interview with this publication, the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Major General (Rtd) Pius Mokgware said, \u201cBotswana remains prepared for any potential spillover effects arising from renewed threats of violence in South Africa ahead of a controversial June 30 deadline being pushed by anti-immigrant groups demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are closely monitoring developments across the border but have not yet observed any unusual movements of people into Botswana. We have not experienced any increase in visa applications or entries through our border posts at this stage,\u201d Mokgware said.<\/p>\n

MONITORING DEVELOPMENTS<\/b><\/p>\n

His comments come amid growing anxiety in neighbouring countries following calls by some South African groups for undocumented foreigners to leave the country by the end of June. The calls have raised fears of a resurgence of xenophobic attacks similar to those witnessed in previous years.<\/p>\n

The violence has often been linked to frustrations over unemployment, crime and competition for economic opportunities, with migrants from countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Ethiopia, Somalia and Nigeria frequently bearing the brunt of the attacks.<\/p>\n

NOT REFUGEES, SAYS BOTSWANA<\/b><\/p>\n

Mokgware emphasized that Botswana\u2019s position remains clear should foreign nationals seek refuge in the country as a result of possible unrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s position is that such individuals would not automatically qualify as refugees because they are not fleeing persecution from their countries of origin as defined under international refugee law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He explained that \u201cif faced with requests from entry, Botswana would facilitate the safe return of affected individuals to their respective home countries if they attempted to use Botswana as a temporary safe haven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite this position, Mokgware stressed that the country remains committed to observing international law and established protocols governing the treatment of displaced persons and migrants.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to respect international legal frameworks and ensure that any persons affected are treated humanely and with dignity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

REGIONAL CONCERNS<\/b><\/p>\n

The prospect of renewed xenophobic violence has sparked concern across the Southern African region, with governments closely watching developments in South Africa, which hosts millions of migrants from neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n

Analysts warn that any large-scale unrest could trigger temporary population movements and place pressure on border management systems across the region.<\/p>\n

For now, the Minister said there is no cause for alarm, but insist that contingency plans remain in place should the situation deteriorate in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. As tensions build ahead of the controversial June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, Botswana has made it clear that it cannot afford to become a sanctuary for foreigners fleeing attacks in South Africa. Botswana, a country facing economic headwinds and growing demands for jobs and social services from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-83558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nNo Refuge for \u2018Xenophobia\u2019 Escapees - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As tensions build ahead of the controversial June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, Botswa ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No Refuge for \u2018Xenophobia\u2019 Escapees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As tensions build ahead of the controversial June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, Botswa ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T17:00:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T18:19:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/06\/sm_1782139774.165249.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"No Refuge for \u2018Xenophobia\u2019 Escapees\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T17:00:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-22T18:19:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees\"},\"wordCount\":501,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/06\/sm_1782139774.165249.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/no-refuge-for-xenophobia-escapees\",\"name\":\"No Refuge for \u2018Xenophobia\u2019 Escapees - 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