Anti-migrant protests draw thousands across South Africa
Protesters gesture at suspected migrants while marching during a demonstration by the "March and March" and Operation Dudula movements marking an unofficial deadline set by citizen-led groups for undocumented. . .
Protesters gesture at suspected migrants while marching during a demonstration by the "March and March" and Operation Dudula movements marking an unofficial deadline set by citizen-led groups for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa, in Johannesburg on June 30. |AFP-JIJIBLOOMBERGJul 6, 2026Thousands of people joined anti-migrant protests in South Africa on Tuesday, watched over by a massive police contingent that was deployed to prevent violence and intimidation. The demonstrations in Johannesburg, Pretoria, the port cities of Durban and Cape Town, and other towns were called by an organization known as March and March to demand that all undocumented foreigners leave the country. The rallies, which marked the culmination of weeks of protests that have displaced thousands of mainly African expatriates, were mostly peaceful bar a few isolated incidents. The protests have stoked fears of xenophobic violence on a scale that erupted in South Africa in 2008, when 62 people were killed and more than 50,000 others were forced to flee their homes in a wave of attacks. Five years ago in July, 354 people died in riots in the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces — the two biggest contributors to national economic output — after protests over the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma. In a time of both misinformation and too much information,quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW