March and March Movement Announces Weekly Anti-Immigration Protests for Six Months After Violent Demonstrations

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa's March and March Movement has announced plans to hold weekly nationwide protests against undocumented immigration for the next six months, following demonstrations that turned violent in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma made the announcement while addressing supporters in Durban, saying the campaign would continue every Thursday until the government strengthens immigration enforcement and border security.

"We will continue mobilising every Thursday until our concerns are addressed," Ngobese-Zuma said, according to The Citizen.

She said the movement wants the government to allocate more resources to the Border Management Authority (BMA), arguing that the agency lacks sufficient personnel and equipment to effectively secure South Africa's borders. Ngobese-Zuma also called for a major increase in border officials, suggesting that at least 10,000 officers are needed, alongside stronger border infrastructure, including improved fencing.

While demonstrations reportedly began peacefully in many areas, violence later broke out in parts of Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal. According to reports, groups of protesters moved through suburbs including Hillbrow, Yeoville and Berea, where incidents of property damage, intimidation and attempts to gain entry into buildings believed to house foreign nationals were reported. Vehicles were set alight in some areas, while belongings of vulnerable residents were allegedly destroyed during the unrest.

Elsewhere in Gauteng, demonstrations were reported in Alexandra, Daveyton, Germiston, Cosmo City, Mamelodi and Tembisa, where some foreign-owned businesses temporarily closed following reports of intimidation. There were also allegations that some protesters demanded identification documents from suspected migrants, while others reportedly carried out so-called "citizen's arrests" before handing individuals over to police.

South African police deployed heavily across affected areas as unrest spread, with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) reportedly assisting law enforcement in Kliptown to stabilise the situation. In KwaZulu-Natal, large crowds gathered in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, prompting increased police deployments.

Authorities also responded to incidents near a refugee site on Che Guevara Road in Durban, where concerns were raised about the safety of foreign nationals. Police confirmed several arrests during the unrest, including individuals linked to alleged looting of foreign-owned businesses and a woman accused of assaulting police officers during an intervention in Sydenham.

South African authorities have repeatedly stressed that while the Constitution protects the right to peaceful protest, criminal acts including assault, intimidation, vandalism and looting will not be tolerated. The announcement of six months of weekly demonstrations is likely to heighten concerns among migrant communities, including thousands of Zimbabweans, Malawians and other foreign nationals living and working in South Africa. Officials have urged residents to remain calm and report any incidents of violence or intimidation to law enforcement agencies.

South Africa anti-immigration protests