South Africa: 900+ arrested as nationwide anti-migrant marches turn violent in 12 cities
The 'March and March' group mobilised 120 marches on July 1; police intervened in 12; organiser Ngobese-Zuma announces weekly Thursday marches until the government acts on undocumented migration
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South Africa deployed 3,405 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) from June 28 to support police during anti-migrant protests; US News confirmed the deployment as of July 3. President Cyril Ramaphosa held an emergency meeting with protest organisers, acknowledging core grievances around undocumented migration and border management while calling for calm. Ghana began a repatriation process for a citizen killed in the violence, deepening the diplomatic row with Pretoria that erupted July 2. Anti-migrant organisers reiterated their pledge of weekly Thursday marches, with the next expected July 9. ↗
Summary
South Africa's "March and March" civic movement mobilised 120 nationwide marches on July 1, demanding the government enforce immigration law against undocumented migrants. Police intervened in 12 of them, with clashes recorded in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape. More than 900 people were arrested: some for public violence and robbery during the clashes, an estimated 300 for immigration violations in sweeps conducted alongside the police response. Organiser Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, announcing the outcome, pledged weekly Thursday marches indefinitely until the government acts. The July 1 protests followed a June 30 deadline the group had issued for undocumented migrants to leave. South Africa hosts an estimated 2.9 to 3.9 million undocumented migrants, predominantly from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Malawi.
Why it matters
The mobilisation scale (120 cities and towns in a single day) is the largest anti-migrant demonstration South Africa has seen since Operation Dudula's 2022 peak, and signals that anti-migrant sentiment has moved from movement-fringe to mainstream civic mobilisation. ANC government's non-response risks accelerating the electoral drift to the MK Party and the EFF, both of which have made xenophobic rhetoric central to their appeal ahead of local elections. Neighbouring governments, particularly Malawi and Zimbabwe, face domestic pressure to respond.
What to watch
- Whether South Africa's Home Affairs Ministry announces any policy change on deportations or border enforcement before the next Thursday march.
- ANC government's diplomatic handling of demands from the Malawian and Zimbabwean governments.
- Whether UNHCR formally condemns the arrests of asylum seekers caught in the immigration sweeps.