South Africa saw large anti-migrant protests across Johannesburg, Durban, and other cities on Tuesday (30 Jun), with demonstrators demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country.
The Ministry of Police said most marches remained peaceful, although isolated incidents of looting, assault, and property damage were reported. Police Minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed that the army had been deployed on a contingency basis in parts of Johannesburg and Durban.
President Cyril Ramaphosa met protest leaders ahead of the marches and urged demonstrators to act peacefully while acknowledging the need for immigration reforms. He also stressed that all people in South Africa are entitled to legal and constitutional protections.
Key developments:
- 25,000 undocumented migrants have been repatriated so far, according to South African police.
- 50,000 migrants have been arrested since January for alleged immigration violations.
- 7,000 Malawians have already been returned from South Africa, with further repatriations ongoing.
- Nigeria has evacuated around 600 citizens, while Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe have also organised returns.
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
