South Africa: March and March group leads mass protests

The anti-immigration group ‘March and March’ organized mass demonstrations across South Africa on Wednesday, September 30. Protests took place in major centers including Durban, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.

The movement has campaigned for stricter enforcement of immigration laws and set an unofficial deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave the country. In addition to anti-immigration sentiments, the organizers expanded the scope of the marches to include protests against crime and gender-based violence, specifically calling for a ‘Men’s March against GBV and Crime’ following recent high-profile murders of women.

South Africa has recently experienced intense anti-immigration campaigns that have resulted in violence against foreign nationals. While official casualty figures are contested, reports indicate that over 200,000 people have fled the country. Movement leader Sphelele Shinga stated that activists expected up to 1.5 million participants, though this figure has not been independently verified.