Public anger over the government’s handling of marches against illegal immigration intensified in Durban on Tuesday as members of the March and March Movement took to the streets amid a heavy police presence. The protest coincided with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that 510 soldiers would be deployed to KwaZulu-Natal.
Protesters gathered outside the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road, formerly Moore Road, before marching through heavy rain to Berea Police Station. Police initially blocked their route, but demonstrators continued despite attempts to stop them. Delivery scooters manoeuvred around officers, while movement leader Xolani Zuma confronted police during the standoff.
The Presidency announced that 510 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be deployed to KwaZulu-Natal under Operation Prosper. The deployment runs from October 9 to November 30 and is expected to cost R34,082,720. The soldiers are expected to assist police in maintaining public order as anti-illegal immigration protests rage on.
At the heart of the protests are demands for stricter enforcement of South Africa’s immigration laws, fair employment opportunities for citizens, and greater protection for local workers and businesses. The movement submitted a 28-page memorandum to Berea SAPS demanding, among other things, verification of immigration and work documents, police accountability, regulation of e-hailing and delivery services, and investigations into alleged unlawful employment and fraudulent asylum applications.
Some South African delivery riders have complained about what they regard as unfair treatment by police when reporting alleged attacks involving foreign competitors. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda has maintained that police serve everyone equally and advised people with complaints against officers to approach the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
The protesters’ grievances also extend to a recent Constitutional Court ruling concerning access to the asylum system. The court found it unconstitutional to prevent people from accessing the asylum process based on how they entered or remained in South Africa. Protesters argue that the ruling could make the system vulnerable to abuse by illegal immigrants seeking economic opportunities rather than protection from persecution.
Traditional healer Mthokozisi ‘Felemntwini’ Gumede and others have been camping outside the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre to monitor developments in the processing of asylum applications. They share concerns that some applicants may be economic migrants seeking refugee status despite not meeting the legal requirements. Opponents of the government’s approach have also raised concerns about plans for online asylum registration, with March and March threatening further action if the process proceeds.
March and March founder and leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has criticised the government’s handling of immigration and called on supporters not to vote for the African National Congress (ANC) in the November 4 local government elections, arguing that the government has failed to address the movement’s concerns.
The protests form part of a wider push for stricter immigration controls and stronger enforcement of South African immigration laws. In Pretoria, the Insizwa Nobunsizwa Development Foundation, led by its founder Nkosikhona “Phakel’umthakathi” Ndabandaba, marched to the Department of Home Affairs on Friday (23 October), demanding that asylum applications be made at South African borders rather than allowing people who entered the country illegally to apply from within the country.
