Across South Africa, thousands of protesters gathered at various locations to voice their opposition to illegal immigration. Marches took place in several cities, including Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
Despite tight security measures, the media reported sporadic violent attacks against foreigners from other African countries during March.
According to police reports, protesters attacked and looted several homes and businesses owned by migrants in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Police in KwaZulu-Natal province arrested ten people on charges of robbery and theft.
business closed in johannesburg
In Johannesburg, the country’s financial hub, most businesses closed, many workers stayed home and public transport services remained limited as thousands of people marched in protest.
Protestors marching in Johannesburg’s city center included young men and women of all ages carrying traditional sticks. Some people wore the South African flag and sang liberation songs.
Guarded by police wearing bulletproof vests and anti-riot helmets, they carried posters with slogans such as “SA withdraws from UN refugee convention”, “The future of our children” and “80% of children born in Limpopo province are born to foreign nationals”.
“Today is the last day,” protester Nkele Thebe said at the start of the Johannesburg march. “After today, we will deal with our President and our nation. We do not want any outsider to interfere.”
Protesters are demanding mass deportation
In Durban – a southeastern city in KwaZulu-Natal province – protesters turned out in traditional warrior attire. Some carried spears, whips and shields, while others were wrapped in leopard skins.
“South Africans have been replaced by illegal foreigners, leading to unemployment,” Jacinta Ngobse-Zuma, leader of the anti-immigrant march and march group, told a crowd in Durban.
“We want mass deportation,” he said. “For the next six months we want the government to get rid of those who have not left.”
According to media reports, Ngose-Zuma announced weekly demonstrations for his supporters in Durban for the coming months.
Meanwhile, only about a hundred people took part in an anti-immigrant march in the popular tourist destination Cape Town, where a counter-demonstration against xenophobia was also held.