“Perhaps It Is Just Law and Order”: SA Woman in Italy Asks if the Country Is Xenophobic

• A South African woman living in Italy shared her experience of the strict immigration rules she had to follow as a foreigner
• She questioned why Italy is not labelled xenophobic the way South Africa currently is
• Her video struck a nerve, with many sharing their own similar experiences in countries around the world

A South African woman, Michele, living in Italy, has put a question on the table that had many weighing in. She posted a video on 12 June 2026, sharing her own experience of moving to Italy as a South African and asking why the country is not considered xenophobic, given how strict the rules are for foreigners.

She laid out what she had to go through. To enter Italy, she needed a heavy stack of paperwork to back up every claim she made about herself. She paid R1,800 for a visa and had a limited time to use it. She was not allowed to sell fruit or open a business and had to carry her visa on her person at all times.

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Her point was that if South Africa is being called xenophobic for wanting to control who enters and how, why does Italy not get the same label? She then answered her own question, suggesting that perhaps it is simply a matter of law and order rather than hatred. She implied that South Africa enforcing its own immigration rules should be seen the same way.

What the law says

Most countries in the world do not allow undocumented entry, but handle the situation differently once people are already inside their borders.

Many offer asylum or refugee claim processes under international agreements. Others run regularisation programmes that give long-term undocumented residents a path to legal status, particularly if they are working and paying taxes. Countries like Germany allow a form of temporary toleration status that can eventually lead to a permit if certain conditions are met.

South Africa has been running increased deportation drives in recent months as pressure around the 30 June deadline builds, but the debate about where enforcement ends, and discrimination begins, is one the country is having constantly.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

People relate to the woman's Italian experience

The comments section on her TikTok page showed how many had similar experiences:

@peawardlamini said:

"I'm in Ireland, and my work permit was due to expire. My employer said they would have to stop me from working without a valid permit. Rules are rules. I don't see it as xenophobic or racist; it was a legal requirement."

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@purefaithman wrote:

"I'm a South African in South Africa reading my fellow South Africans' responses and feeling proud of all the colours in our rainbow nation."

@thaminichetty8 said:

"I'm South African on a sponsorship work visa in the UK, and although I pay tons in tax, I'm not allowed to claim any benefits from the government."

@designer_priscilla_mich wrote:

"I was in China for six months on a business visa. They monitored where I lived and had police come and take pictures of me at the residence."

More on SA's immigration news

• Briefly News recently reported on MK Party member Dali Mpofu being slammed after appearing to call the planned 30 June shutdown xenophobic.
• A Nigerian mum made the difficult decision to fly home with her children before the 30 June deadline.
• Poet and activist Ntsiki Mazwai also warned South Africans against joining the 30 June march, sharing a personal experience about being abandoned.

Source: Briefly News