South Africa's president acknowledges rising tensions over migration

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's president promised Sunday to act on what he called concerns over illegal migration following a rise in anti-immigrant protests and sentiment in Africa's most advanced economy, with other nations claiming their citizens have been targeted in xenophobic attacks.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's comments in a speech on national television dedicated to the issue were an acknowledgment of the tensions. Anti-migrant protest groups have said they've set a June 30 deadline for foreign nationals who are in South Africa illegally to leave and have requested talks with the government.

South Africa has a history of violence sparked by anger over the presence of migrants, including in 2008 when more than 60 people were killed in what international rights groups called xenophobic attacks on foreigners.

Groups calling for a new crackdown on immigration have gained attention in recent months with a series of protests. They say foreign nationals in South Africa illegally are exacerbating its extremely high unemployment and placing more pressure on already strained public health and education services.

“Many South Africans are raising difficult but legitimate questions,” Ramaphosa said. “These concerns are real. They deserve to be heard, and they deserve to be addressed.”

But Ramaphosa also said that authorities would not tolerate anyone taking the law into their own hands.

“Only authorized government officials can act against violations of our law,” Ramaphosa added, warning that some groups were “inciting” tensions.

There are no official figures for how many migrants are in South Africa illegally, though various estimates have put the number at between 2 million and 5 million out of a population of 62 million.

As the richest country in the region, South Africa has traditionally attracted migrants from neighboring countries Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho, as well as from others like Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Ethiopia. That has been a trend for decades.

Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique said recently that their citizens have faced threats and violence in South Africa because they are foreigners. Ghana repatriated around 300 of its citizens from South Africa last month and said more will be offered the chance to return home because of what it called threats against them.

Mozambique's government said this week that five of its citizens were killed in what it referred to as xenophobic attacks in the town of Mossel Bay on South Africa's south coast.

South Africa's coalition government placed a new focus on the issue of immigration after it was formed in 2024 and says it has deported over 100,000 people in the last two years who were in the country illegally. Ramaphosa said Sunday that around 450,000 people trying to enter South Africa without documents had been stopped at the border in the last year.

Ramaphosa said there had been “weaknesses” in the way South Africa previously managed migration and the government would take “decisive” action now, but he also appealed that people “not turn on each other” over the issue.

FILE - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

FILE - South Africans protest against illegal migration, in Johannesburg, South Africa, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)

Ghanaian nationals queue with their luggage at O.R. Tambo International Airport as they prepare to board a repatriation flight home following unrest concerns in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Kayleen Morgan)

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) assists Ghanaian nationals repatriated from South Africa upon their arrival at the Accra International Airport in Accra, Ghana, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Game 3 of the NBA Finals and encouraging them to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending the game.

The Knicks said Saturday that a strict no-bag policy would be in place and there would be “TSA-style screening procedures” for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game that is scheduled to begin just after 8:40 p.m. EDT.

Trump is a longtime Knicks fan who confirmed Friday that he would attend the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999. He already has attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.

The Knicks said there would be no storage at MSG for prohibited items brought to the arena. A list of them is available at https://www.secretservice.gov/prohibiteditems.

Trump’s visit also scuttled a Game 3 watch party outside MSG. The New York Police Department said in a statement the decision was made in coordination with the Secret Service.

“There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only," the statement said. "This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit. We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”

Such parties, where thousands of fans pack in to watch the game on a big screen, have been a point of contention for the city’s police department, even without the complication of a presidential visit.

More than two-dozen people were arrested as Friday’s watch party spilled into the streets surrounding the Garden after the Knicks beat the Spurs in San Antonio. One woman was accused of punching a police officer in the face, the NYPD said.

Heading into the NBA Finals, the city had moved to cancel watch parties outside the arena altogether because of rowdy behavior at unofficial gatherings but later reversed itself and granted a permit for Game 1 last Wednesday.

Madison Square Garden indicated in a statement that the decision to cancel the outdoor party Monday was not mandated by Trump's presence.

“The permit for the Plaza33 Game 3 watch party was denied by the City’s permitting office in consultation with the NYPD. However, the White House will confirm that this is not about the president," an MSG spokesman said. "We understand NYPD Commissioner Tisch is planning additional street closures around Madison Square Garden.”

Team-sanctioned watch parties will go on at Wollman Rink in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl, the Knicks website said. Both events required advanced registration and were already at capacity as of Sunday afternoon.

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FILE - Actor Elliott Gould, left, joins Donald Trump, center, and Marla Maples at courtside during an NBA basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, in New York, March 6, 1991. (AP Photo/Steve Freeman, File)

FILE - Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at Madison Square Garden during the New York Knicks game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)