June 30: Police ready for ‘anything’

Mobilisation sparks fear even among documented foreign nationals

ORGANISERS of the planned June 30 marches have cast 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, come after weeks of escalating rhetoric centred on a self-imposed deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa.

According to reports, police and private security structures had identified Gauteng, Kwazulu-natal, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape as possible flashpoints. The government has insisted that June 30 will be a normal day and not a national shutdown. It has warned that no private individuals or groups have the authority to demand documentation from members of the public, block access to schools, clinics, hospitals, or businesses, or decide who may live in communities.

Acting Police Minister 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 were being deployed not only to respond to violence, but to prevent it before it happened through visible policing, early intervention, intelligence-led operations, and action against those who incite violence or spread threats online.

Cachalia also met with the private security industry on June 24 as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors. The meeting identified information-sharing, coordinated planning, and pooling resources as key measures to manage risk ahead of the protests.

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 its allied organisations reportedly maintained 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, while the organisations maintained that their campaign was directed at illegal immigration and not foreign nationals as a whole.

The movement and its allies also reportedly said they would proceed with the demonstrations, while insisting that the government remained responsible for maintaining law and order.

Business concerns have also formed part of the government’s engagements.

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, saying some businesses never recovered and jobs were permanently lost.

‘‘If violence erupts and property is destroyed, it is us, our children, and our families who will suffer the consequences,’’ Ntuli said.

According to a Border Management Authority (BMA) statement, 15 162 Malawian nationals had been processed for deportation and repatriation by the close of business on Thursday, with more still undergoing verification at temporary repatriation centres across the country.

The government said Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe had come forward to offer voluntary repatriation of their nationals, with Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo being the latest to make requests.

The statement 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 the humanitarian emergency that had developed.

The government said the jurisdiction of the Musina Refugee Reception Office in Limpopo had been extended to conduct verifications, while a temporary repatriation processing centre had been identified outside Musina. The centre is expected to enable faster processing, improve clearance through Beitbridge and reduce reliance on Lindela.

The BMA, working with the SAPS, the SANDF, and other law enforcement agencies, has maintained heightened vigilance across land, air, and sea ports of entry.

MORE than 42000 foreign nationals have applied to register businesses in South Africa as the government steps up efforts to regulate informal trading ahead of nationwide anti-illegal immigration protests planned for Tuesday.

Speaking during an Inter-ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration media briefing on Friday, committee chairperson and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi said the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) had launched an accelerated business registration programme to ensure informal traders 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 made the remarks as the IMC briefed the media on Friday on the government’s comprehensive approach to migration management ahead of nationwide protests planned for Tuesday.

The protests come amid growing concerns over the safety and wellbeing of foreign nationals as tensions linked to anti-illegal immigration demonstrations continue to escalate.

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 by the government, demonstrations have continued to escalate.

Anti-migrant organisations March and March, together with other civil society organisations, have 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.

Meanwhile, Kubayi, who is the minister of Justice and Constitutional Development said the DSBD, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) had finalised a joint action plan for the registration of informal businesses.

She said a joint interdepartmental nerve centre involving the DSBD, COGTA and SALGA would be established at both technical and political levels to accelerate the registration 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.”

Kubayi said four Spaza Shop Support Fund awareness campaigns were conducted 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, while 22 applications were completed for support.

She said South Africa remained constitutionally and legally obliged to provide social services, including healthcare and education, to all children within the country.

“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.

Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz 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.