As the march moved through the CBD, organisers led demonstrators to specific buildings flagged through community complaints.
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Hundreds of protesters flooded the Middelburg central business district on Tuesday as the organisation March and March led a demonstration targeting buildings allegedly linked to drug activity and occupied by undocumented foreign nationals.
The protest, which had received prior approval from the South African Police Service (Saps), was directed at buildings in the CBD that community members claim are being used for drug-related activity and are occupied by undocumented foreign nationals.
According to The Citizen‘s sister publication, the Middelburg Observer, protesters raised sticks and sjamboks into the air at Van Blerk Square, where organisers addressed the crowd before the march moved through the city’s main streets.
Despite the charged atmosphere, organisers insisted the demonstration remain orderly. “We were told that a lot of things are happening in this building,” a March and March official told those gathered.
Traffic services and police were deployed in full force, with Public Order Policing Commander Jack Scholtz expressing support for the turnout.
Officers maintained a visible presence along the route, making regular stops to keep the crowd controlled and to prevent fringe elements from derailing the sanctioned march.
Buildings searched as occupants flee ahead of march
As the march moved through the CBD, organisers led demonstrators to specific buildings that had been flagged through community complaints.
According to a March and March official addressing the crowd, residents of those buildings had apparently been tipped off in advance.
“When we went in, we noticed that the foreigners ran away when they heard that March and March was coming. They even remove keys from their doors,” the official said.
Only one occupant was found inside the building, and his documentation raised immediate concern among organisers.
The official said the man appeared confident he had proof of legal status, but that turned out not to be the case. “We found one who was stubborn. He was confident because he was carrying an ID but it wasn’t an ID, it’s a copy. We took him out and handed him over to the police,” he told the crowd.
The official assured those present that the handover to law enforcement would be monitored. “Those who want to check on him and see that the police are abiding by the law will go to the police station,” he said.
The building was subsequently confirmed to be empty, with the march then moving on to the next target.
Organisers urge calm as march continues through the afternoon
With the demonstration set to run until 4pm, organisers repeatedly called on protesters to remain peaceful and focused on the intended purpose of the action.
Organisers were clear that individuals were not the primary target, but rather the inadequacies in the country’s immigration law enforcement.
“Right now the building is empty, we checked and there’s no one. We are now going to another flat to remove illegal immigrants,” the official confirmed as the march progressed.
Police worked to manage the pace and direction of the crowd throughout the afternoon, navigating deliberate pauses along the route to maintain order.
Residents and motorists were advised to avoid the affected streets and reroute around the CBD until the march concluded.
