Mostly peaceful nationwide marches descend into violence, prompting police action and military deployment….reports Africa Daily News Desk
More than 900 people have been arrested across South Africa following nationwide anti-migrant protests that were largely peaceful but turned violent in several areas, leaving one person dead, several others injured and foreign-owned shops looted.
The demonstrations, organised on Tuesday by a coalition of more than 20 civil society groups, including the March and March movement, were held to press for tougher action against undocumented immigration and stricter border controls.
According to Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili, police monitored 120 protest marches across the country, of which 108 remained peaceful while 12 required police intervention after violence broke out. More than 900 people were arrested for offences ranging from public violence and robbery to immigration-related violations. The Western Cape recorded the highest number of arrests with 215, followed by the Eastern Cape with 208.
Ahead of the protests, President Cyril Ramaphosa held an emergency meeting with key organisers and appealed for calm, acknowledging that many South Africans had genuine concerns about illegal immigration, border management, criminal syndicates exploiting the immigration system and mounting pressure on public services.
In a statement, Ramaphosa said these concerns “are real and they deserve to be heard”, while reiterating that the government had already accepted the need for substantial reforms to the country’s immigration system.
He said the government was strengthening border management, increasing enforcement against undocumented immigration, improving the integrity of the asylum and visa systems, and cracking down on corruption that had weakened immigration controls.
While affirming that the right to protest is protected under South Africa’s Constitution, Ramaphosa warned that demonstrations must remain peaceful and lawful.
“The right to protest and freedom of expression does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence,” he said.
The President also issued a strong warning against citizens taking immigration enforcement into their own hands.
“The painful history of the pass laws reminds us why the authority to demand identification and enforce immigration laws belongs to government law-enforcement officers acting within the Constitution — not to private individuals. Whatever the motivation, taking the law into one’s own hands is vigilantism and has no place in our constitutional democracy,” Ramaphosa said.
He further cautioned against targeting foreign nationals living legally in South Africa.
“Some foreign nationals who live in South Africa are here lawfully. They work, study, raise families, invest in our economy and contribute positively to our society. They too are entitled to the protection of our laws and our Constitution,” he said.
Despite the appeals for restraint, violence flared in several locations. In Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, one person was shot dead during the looting of foreign-owned spaza shops. Soldiers were also deployed to the Hillbrow area after another shooting left two people injured, including a 17-year-old.
In Durban, thousands of protesters marched through the city chanting “Abahambe!” (“They must go!”), with March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma warning that demonstrations would continue every Thursday until the government tightened border controls.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International South Africa, condemned the targeting of migrants, arguing they were being used as scapegoats for deeper socio-economic challenges such as unemployment, poverty and the country’s backlogged asylum system.
