Marches against illegal immigrants spread across South Africa

Protestors took to the streets across the country on Friday to march against illegal immigrants.

The organisation “March in March” started the protests against illegal foreign nationals in Durban in March 2025. The marches have since gained momentum and spread to Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Free State.

The marches have now spread to Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Free State.

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, a presenter at Vuma FM, has been vocal in rallying support for the protests.

“Our march is against illegal immigrants. It’s not that we’re against foreigners, but there needs to be control. When the system fails to document and manage the number of foreigners entering the country, it becomes unsustainable. These individuals are not contributing to the economy, and many are involved in criminal activity,” she said.

On Friday, protestors took to the streets and called upon the government to issue a 30-day ultimatum for all illegal immigrants to leave the country voluntarily.

Home Affairs on illegal immigrants

At the beginning of April, the Department of Home Affairs reported that 46 898 undocumented immigrants were deported in the 2024/2025 financial year. This was an 18% increase from the previous year’s total of 39 672.

Following the release of the deportation statistics, Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber said, “the fact that Home Affairs now performs more than double the number of deportations conducted in a country like France, which has the highest rate of deportations in the European Union, sends a clear message to offenders that the days of impunity are over.

“This improved performance, coupled with our digital transformation reforms that will automate entry-and-exit to prevent people from entering the country illegally through our ports of entry, is contributing to enhanced national security and trade facilitation.”

ALSO READ: Home Affairs deports more than 46 000 illegal immigrants in past year

Calls to deregister schools employing illegal foreign nationals

One of the reasons people are marching against illegal immigration is due to the perception that foreigners are taking jobs away from South Africans.

Education activist Hendrick Makaneta on Friday called on the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education to address the employment of foreign nationals in schools. He emphasised that independent schools hiring foreign nationals without proper documentation must be deregistered.

”It is unacceptable that some schools disregard the law and prioritise convenience over compliance. Employing teachers without proper work permits undermines the qualifications and expertise of educators. Moreover, it potentially denies opportunities to qualified South African citizens,” Makaneta said.

“The Department of Basic Education must take swift action against non-compliant schools. We urge authorities to investigate and take decisive measures to address this issue. As a society, we owe it to our children to provide quality education. Let’s work together to uphold the integrity of our education system. We will continue to monitor this issue and advocate for necessary changes.”

ALSO READ: McKenzie demands answers on the employment of foreign nationals on Robben Island