The human toll of South Africa’s anti‑illegal immigration protests is visible in Mamelodi East, Pretoria. Children kicked a plastic bottle in a dusty field while their parents packed bags to leave the country. Outside the local police station, Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals lined up for buses home, carrying little more than plastic bags and the clothes on their backs. Community leaders pleaded with police for help, warning that tensions between locals and foreigners could erupt into violence.