By Dwayne Ferreira.
March & March protests put South Africa on alert as police deployments, migrant fear and business closures deepen over June 30 deadline.
South Africa was on edge on Tuesday as March & March Protests against undocumented migrants triggered heavy police deployments, business closures and growing fear among foreign nationals.
The demonstrations, organised around an unofficial June 30 deadline set by anti-immigration groups for undocumented migrants to leave the country, have pushed a long-running immigration dispute into a national security test for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government.
March & March, together with groups including Operation Dudula and Progressive Forces, has accused undocumented migrants of taking jobs, driving crime and placing pressure on schools, hospitals and public services. Demonstrators gathered in several areas, including Johannesburg and Durban, while police deployed across the country to stop the protests from turning violent.
Authorities refused to recognise the deadline and warned that no private group has the legal power to enforce immigration law. The government said the state alone must handle any deportation or repatriation process, not protesters, private groups or vigilantes.
President Ramaphosa urged organisers to keep the demonstrations peaceful. Meanwhile, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia warned protesters to stay within the law. Cachalia said citizens have the right to protest, but not the right to intimidate, attack or forcibly remove foreign nationals.
March & March Protests Test South Africa’s Rule Of Law
The protests have exposed South Africa’s fragile social climate. The country is battling deep unemployment, pressure on public services and public anger over weak border controls. However, rights groups and analysts warn that migrants increasingly face blame for problems rooted in poor governance, corruption and economic failure.
Reuters reported that migrants make up about 4% of South Africa’s population. Crime data cited in its analysis showed that foreign nationals account for only a small share of prisoners, many of whom face immigration-related offences. Economic researchers have also challenged the claim that migrants simply take jobs from South Africans. They argue that migrant workers can also help create economic activity.
Despite those facts, the June 30 deadline spread fear through migrant communities. Thousands of foreign nationals, including Malawians, Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and Nigerians, sought help from embassies, consulates and repatriation centres as the protests neared. Some slept outside diplomatic buildings or waited in makeshift camps for buses and flights home.
The fear was not theoretical. Reports in recent months have described harassment, evictions, looting and attacks targeting foreign nationals, including both documented and undocumented migrants. Reuters reported that at least five people had died since April in violence linked to the anti-migrant campaign. Authorities have also opened more than 100 criminal cases connected to vigilante action against migrants since March.
Migrant Communities Fear Violence And Repatriation
March & March describes itself as a citizen-led movement demanding stronger immigration enforcement and protection for South African opportunities. Its website says Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma founded the movement after community concerns grew over undocumented immigration, jobs, education, healthcare and safety.
Ngobese-Zuma has insisted the demonstrations are meant to remain peaceful. However, the movement now faces growing scrutiny over its messaging, funding and political links. AmaBhungane reported that March & March’s rise is connected to Zuma family networks, political allies and anti-immigrant organisers. It also reported that the mobilisation has revived fears of unrest similar to South Africa’s deadly July 2021 riots.
That comparison has sharpened official concern. South Africa’s 2021 unrest, which erupted after former President Jacob Zuma was jailed, led to mass looting, destruction and more than 300 deaths. The current protests have a different origin. But officials fear anti-migrant anger could again spill into violence, especially in areas already marked by poverty, unemployment and political frustration.
In several towns and cities, many foreign-owned shops remained closed because owners feared being targeted. Some migrants stayed indoors, while others tried to leave South Africa before the deadline. AP reported heavy traffic at the Beitbridge border crossing with Zimbabwe, as buses carried migrants out of the country. It also reported that Malawians and Nigerians were among those receiving help to return home.
Government Faces Immigration Pressure
The humanitarian impact has been severe. Some migrants who left South Africa had lived there for years, built families and worked in informal or contract jobs. Reuters reported cases of fathers leaving South African partners and children behind because they feared violence if they stayed.
South Africa has a long and painful history of xenophobic violence. Major outbreaks in 2008 and later years saw foreign-owned businesses looted and migrants attacked. The latest protests have therefore triggered alarm not only inside South Africa but across the region, where neighbouring governments now face pressure to protect their citizens.
The government must walk a difficult line. It has to respond to public frustration over illegal immigration, unemployment and overstretched services. At the same time, it must stop mob action from replacing the rule of law.
That balance will decide whether the March & March protests become a turning point in immigration enforcement or another chapter in South Africa’s history of anti-foreigner violence.
For now, the state’s message is clear. Citizens may march, but only the state may enforce immigration law. Anyone who crosses that line risks turning a political protest into a criminal act.
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