Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in South Africa’s major cities on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, calling on the government to force all undocumented migrants out of the country. The coordinated protests were met with a heavy police and military presence amid fears of violence.
Marches were held in Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, and other urban centres. In most cities, police officers were supported by private security guards. In parts of Johannesburg and Durban, the army was deployed “on a contingency basis,” according to Police Minister Firoz Cachalia.
The protests followed a deadline set by anti-migrant groups for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa by Tuesday. The Ministry of Police said the demonstrations were largely peaceful, though there were isolated incidents of looting, intimidation, and property damage.
In Hillbrow, a Johannesburg suburb with a large migrant population, police arrested three people after they allegedly opened fire on protesters. The crowd retaliated by torching the suspects’ vehicle. Two people were injured, including a 17-year-old. Yeoville, another migrant-dense area, some protesters threw bricks that broke windows of homes. Shops in central Johannesburg closed early as police visibility increased on main streets.
In Germiston, about 15km east of Johannesburg, demonstrators went door-to-door, evicting residents they suspected were foreign nationals and handing them to police for documentation checks, local media reported.
Police said five people were arrested for allegedly looting a foreign-owned shop in Soweto. In KwaZulu-Natal province, about 10 people were arrested for looting, while a woman was arrested for assaulting an officer and a man for intimidation after reports that a foreign national was beaten.businesses in central Durban also shut down for the day as marchers gathered and handed a memorandum of demands to government officials.
The leader of anti-migrant group March and March, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, told reporters they plan to protest every Thursday for the next six months to pressure the government to “get rid of” undocumented migrants still in the country.
A demonstrator from Operation Dudula, another anti-migrant movement, said the group would “push the police” to arrest foreigners without legal status.president Cyril Ramaphosa met some protest leaders on Monday in an effort to ease tensions. He has repeatedly urged demonstrators to remain peaceful while acknowledging public concerns about immigration reform.
In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa reminded citizens that “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.”
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.
Official figures show more than three million documented foreign nationals in South Africa. The number of undocumented migrants is not officially recorded but is a central grievance for protesters.
Police said about 50,000 migrants have been arrested since January for being in the country illegally. The government reports that 25,000 people have been repatriated so far, most of them from other African countries.
Nigeria evacuated 269 of its citizens on Monday, bringing its total to about 600 since the protests were announced. Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe have also been repatriating citizens by plane or bus.
In Durban, authorities dismantled white tents housing mostly Malawians at a transit camp as they prepared for repatriation. About 7,000 Malawians have already returned home, according to Malawian media.
One Malawian man, Nelson Mbewe, said he went to South Africa for work but was now leaving. “They say we are ‘makwerekwere’,” he told the BBC, using a xenophobic slur for African migrants. “It’s their country, so what can we do? That’s why we have accepted that we just have to go back home
Another Malawian, Hassan Phiri, still waiting to be processed, appealed for unity: “Africa must remain Africa. Africa can’t be Africa without South Africa… without Malawi, without anywhere. So whatever will happen, we must love each other and stick together as Africa.”
One undocumented Malawian father said he was “happy to be going back” but “heartbroken” to leave four young children behind.some migrants are now stranded in Mozambique. A group of 200 Malawians in the town of Maxixe said they had no money for transport, food, or shelter to continue north to Malawi and were asking both governments for help.
Background: unemployment and xenophobia
Many African migrants came to South Africa after apartheid ended in 1994, seeking economic opportunity. With unemployment now above 30%, anti-migrant sentiment has grown, with protesters arguing that undocumented foreigners strain jobs, housing, and public services.
Xenophobia has repeatedly led to violence. The African Centre for Migration and Society’s Xenowatch tracker records two people killed in xenophobic attacks this year. In 2008, more than 60 people died during nationwide riots targeting non-South Africans.
Protest organisers were told traditional weapons would not be allowed, a concern given that many demonstrators in Durban are ethnic Zulus who often carry shields, sticks, or whips on marches. Police ultimately permitted the weapons, confiscating only a machete at the Durban march. The Durban protest remained relatively peaceful.
Anti-migrant groups say the campaign will continue weekly. The government faces pressure to clarify immigration policy while protecting lawful migrants and preventing further violence.
For now, repatriation efforts are accelerating, transit camps are closing, and police remain on high alert in migrant-populated areas
