Organisers of the planned June 30 marches have framed the campaign as a push for stricter immigration enforcement, but government officials, analysts and civil society groups warn the mobilisation has already sparked fear, displacement and intimidation among migrant communities — including refugees, asylum seekers and documented foreign nationals.
The demonstrations, led by anti-illegal immigration movements such as March and March, follow weeks of escalating rhetoric centred on a self-imposed deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa. Even as organisers insist the action will be peaceful, the state has moved to blunt any prospect of vigilantism, warning that no private group has the authority to police identity documents or control access to public services.
Police and private security structures have identified Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape as possible flashpoints, according to reports. Government has insisted that June 30 will be a normal day and not a national shutdown, while cautioning that any attempt to block access to schools, clinics, hospitals or businesses will not be tolerated. Officials have also stressed that private individuals cannot demand documentation from members of the public or decide who may live in communities.
Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia said every person in South Africa — “whether a citizen, refugee, asylum seeker, documented, or undocumented foreign national” — was entitled to protection under the Constitution and the law.
‘‘There will be no tolerance for vigilantism, no tolerance for xenophobic or any type of violence, no tolerance for intimidation, and no tolerance for anyone, no matter who they are, who thinks they can decide who may or may not live in our communities,’’ Cachalia said.
He said police would not only respond to violence but would work to prevent it through visible policing, early intervention, intelligence-led operations and action against people who incite violence or spread threats online.
Cachalia has also engaged the private security industry in an attempt to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors. He met the industry on June 24, with the meeting identifying information-sharing, co-ordinated planning and the pooling of resources as key measures to manage risk ahead of the protests.
At the same time, questions remain about the organisers’ operational plans and how they intend to ensure the marches do not spill into intimidation or attacks on migrants. Jacinta Ngobese-zuma of March and March had not responded, by the time of publication, to questions about which areas were expected to be protest hotspots, the movement’s security arrangements, its stance against violence, or whether demonstrations would extend beyond June 30.
However, at a media briefing held in Gauteng this week, March and March and allied organisations reportedly repeated that the June 30 action would be peaceful and non-violent. Ngobese-zuma was quoted in media reports as saying there would be no violence, killings, or looting during the demonstrations. The organisations also reportedly maintained that their campaign was directed at illegal immigration and not foreign nationals as a whole, while insisting they would proceed and that government remained responsible for maintaining law and order.
Business and economic concerns have featured in the state’s preparations. President Cyril Ramaphosa met organised business this week, while the Acting National Commissioner of Police, Lieutenant-general Puleng Dimpane, also met SANTACO and private security industry leaders.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Premier Thami Ntuli warned community safety structures that the province could not afford a repeat of the July 2021 unrest, pointing to long-term damage to livelihoods and investment.
‘‘If violence erupts and property is destroyed, it is us, our children, and our families who will suffer the consequences,’’ Ntuli said.
Government’s response has also focused on border management, deportations and repatriation, as officials attempt to demonstrate that immigration enforcement rests with the state rather than community groups. In a statement, the Border Management Authority said 15 162 Malawian nationals had been processed for deportation and repatriation by close of business on Thursday, with more still undergoing verification at temporary repatriation centres around the country.
Government said Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique and Zimbabwe had come forward to offer voluntary repatriation of their nationals, while Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo were the latest to make requests.
The BMA said the situation involving Malawian nationals in Sherwood, Che Guevara, Durban Drive-in and emsunduzi in KwaZulu-Natal had become untenable because of the numbers involved and what it described as a humanitarian emergency.
As part of efforts to speed up processing, government said the jurisdiction of the Musina Refugee Reception Office in Limpopo had been extended to conduct verifications, and that a temporary repatriation processing centre had been identified outside Musina. The aim, it said, was faster processing, improved clearance through Beitbridge and reduced reliance on Lindela.
The BMA, working with the SAPS, the SANDF and other law enforcement agencies, said it had maintained heightened vigilance across land, air and sea ports of entry.
Alongside enforcement, government has moved to regulate informal trading — an issue that regularly features in public complaints about migration and local economic pressure. More than 42 000 foreign nationals have applied to register businesses in South Africa as authorities accelerate permitting and licensing ahead of the protests planned for Tuesday.
Speaking during an Inter-ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration media briefing on Friday, the committee chairperson and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said the Department of Small Business Development had launched an accelerated registration programme so informal traders could operate legally and obtain the required permits.
“The cumulative permitting and licensing data as at June 24, 2026 show 100 733 applications received nationally, of which 42151 relate to applications where the owner is a foreign national,” said Kubayi.
“Of the total applications, 26367 were approved, including 6 749 approvals where the owner is a foreign national,” she said.
Kubayi said KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of applications and approvals, while Gauteng recorded a high number of applications but comparatively fewer approvals.
She said the IMC’s briefing formed part of government’s “comprehensive approach to migration management” ahead of nationwide protests planned for Tuesday, amid growing concern over the safety and wellbeing of foreign nationals as tensions continue to rise.
Many migrants travelled to South Africa in search of better opportunities. Instead, some say they are living in fear amid rising hostility. Protests targeting undocumented migrants have intensified across the country, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Protesters claim undocumented migrants are taking jobs intended for South Africans, placing pressure on healthcare services and schools, and failing to contribute to the economy through taxes.
Despite repeated calls for calm, demonstrations have continued to escalate. March and March, together with other civil society organisations, has called on undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa by June 30. At a media briefing in Midrand on Wednesday, more than 20 anti-migrant organisations and civil society groups pledged that the demonstrations would remain peaceful and would not result in violence, looting or loss of life.
The groups are calling for stricter visa regulations, a review of asylum policies, action against businesses employing undocumented migrants, accountability for corrupt police officers, and restrictions on public services for undocumented migrants.
Kubayi said the Department of Small Business Development, the South African Local Government Association and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs had finalised a joint action plan for the registration of informal businesses. A joint interdepartmental nerve centre involving the DSBD, COGTA and SALGA would be established at technical and political levels to accelerate the process.
“To add to this effort, COGTA in collaboration with traditional leaders will support municipalities to embark on business licensing activities and strengthen bylaw enforcement in rural areas.”
She also pointed to spaza shop support initiatives, saying four awareness campaigns were held in June 2026 in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
“With regards to the implementation of Spaza Shop Support Fund, a total of four (4) Spaza Shop Awareness Campaigns were conducted during June 2026 in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.”
According to Kubayi, the campaigns reached 131 spaza shop owners and participants, and 22 applications were completed for support.
On the question of social services — a recurring flashpoint in migration debates — Kubayi said South Africa remained constitutionally and legally obliged to provide healthcare and education to children within its borders.
“With regards to the delivery of social services such as health, education and other services, South Africa is obliged to protect all children within the republic consistent with its constitutional, and statutory as well as international and regional commitments.
“South African courts have consistently confirmed that these constitutional rights apply to all children in South Africa.”
“While we are mindful of the concerns raised by various communities with regards to the provision of social services to migrants, we believe that the work that we are doing to manage migration will ensure the provision of such services to migrants is controlled, orderly and manageable and does not disadvantage South African citizens,” she said.
As part of security preparations, Cachalia previously announced that R600 million — ordinarily allocated to police stations and community policing — would be redirected to security operations ahead of the planned protests. Police have since increased security measures across the country to maintain law and order during the demonstrations, as authorities attempt to prevent the June 30 marches from becoming a flashpoint for violence, intimidation or unlawful “community policing”.
