30 June demonstrations conclude relatively peacefully

30 JUN 2026, 18:01

5 min read

Apart from sporadic incidents of looting, including a break-in at a tuckshop in the eThekwini metro's township of Hammarsdale, the main march in Durban proceeded peacefully. 

A crowd of more than 15 000 marches gathered, without incident, in the Durban CBD. Comprising mainly young people who had been bused from various townships around the city, they carried traditional weapons, cowshields and knobkieries. 

However, angry amabutho (Zulu regiments) from several Durban hostels wanted to see bloodshed.

"I thought we were here to fight. We are not university students. I don't think that peaceful marches will yield any desired results. The only message the government understands is violence," an angry regiment leader said.

But Nkosikhona "Phakelumthakathi" Ndabandaba, a staunch anti-illegal immigration activist, said the intention was not to mete out violence against foreign nationals.

"We were united and defeated the narrative peddled by doomsayers who had wished that our protest would descend into chaos. South Africans are speaking in one voice that all illegal immigrants must leave the country. We are prepared to lay down our lives in defence of our sovereignty, " he said. 

Although the demonstrations were organised under an anti-illegal immigration banner, tension appeared to emerge among some of the movement's leaders before Tuesday’s protests.

The divisions surfaced after March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma was reportedly excluded from a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ngizwe Mchunu and Phakel'umthakathi attended the meeting in the lead-up to the demonstrations.

Ngobese-Zuma wrote on Facebook: "I just saw it now on social media. Angazi lutho (I know nothing about it).”

Despite that, March and March protests in Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town proceeded largely without incident, with a significant police presence deployed to monitor the demonstrations.

In Durban, protesters marched through the city centre before ending at Point Road, where a memorandum was handed over at Point police station. 

In Johannesburg, demonstrators concluded their march at Hillbrow police station, while protesters in Pretoria marched through Sunnyside, a notorious drug-infested neighbourhood.

The demonstrations were largely peaceful, with marchers accompanied by police officers throughout the day.

Streets that are usually bustling were noticeably quieter. Some businesses had closed as a precautionary measure.

"They passed by two hours ago. It's super quiet on this side," said a Marshalltown resident.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) deployed joint air support over Olivenhoutbosch, Sunnyside and Tembisa as part of security operations to manage the demonstrations.

"[The] SAPS fully respects and will protect the constitutional right of every person to assemble, demonstrate and protest peacefully and within the confines of the law," police said in a statement.

In KwaZulu-Natal, police said a strong security presence had been deployed across identified hotspots in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.

The Durban march concluded with a media briefing, where organisers addressed supporters and reiterated messages of solidarity with groups campaigning against illegal immigration.

Many believed there would be looting and violence during Tuesday's anti-immigrant demonstrations but there were only isolated incidents. 

Much of it comes down to the SAPS’s preparedness.

The contrast between how the SAPS approached the 30 June 2026 anti-immigration demonstrations and the devastating July 2021 civil unrest highlights a massive shift from reactive chaos to proactive, heavily funded mobilisation. After scathing independent reviews of its 2021 performance, SAPS overhauled its approach to crowd control.  

To ensure readiness, Acting Minister Firoz Cachalia redirected R600 million toward operational capabilities and established high-level strategic partnerships across all nine provinces.

Police deployed officers with specialised units on high-alert, police leadership collaborated via the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structures to track potential hotspots in real-time and authorities issued strict protest rules beforehand. 

The SAPS also learnt that no single entity could manage large-scale threats alone. They formed tight operational networks with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority and private firms, using private security guards, technology and hardware as operational force multipliers. 

Flanked by supporters waving placards demanding stronger border security and priority for South Africans in employment and services, Ngobese-Zuma said: “If anyone must shoulder any blame for the 30 June protests, it’s the government.” 

She framed the day’s events as the start of sustained pressure.

“Every Thursday, for the next six months we are marching until they are gone.” 

Ngobese-Zuma insisted the campaign targeted illegal immigration and failures in law enforcement, not individuals based on nationality.

“We are not against foreign nationals,” she told the gathering. “We are against illegal immigration and the crimes often linked to it.”

The atmosphere turned tense when eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba, of the ANC, approached the podium. Boos erupted from sections of the crowd, quickly swelling until Xaba was unable to deliver his remarks. 

Protesters made plain their dissatisfaction with the ruling party’s record on immigration enforcement and service delivery. 

In earlier statements on related operations in Durban, Xaba had outlined verification processes, saying: “Those who fail the qualification to be in the country, who do not have the necessary documents, the police will then arrest them because that's a procedure. And then, obviously, what will then follow is the deportation.”

MK Party supporters formed a noticeable bloc in the Durban march. The party has aligned itself with the movement’s concerns. 

MK secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo publicly endorsed the push, stating: “Anyone who says all illegal migrants must leave the country is correct, so there is no need to challenge people who are pushing that campaign.” 

He called on participants to conduct themself peacefully and to obey the law, describing the protests as constitutionally protected while criticising the ANC’s response to the underlying issues.

ActionSA had thrown its support behind the campaign in the lead-up, commending what it described as courage in confronting undocumented immigration.

The EFF described the march as an election strategy: "We knew this was about the 2026 Local Government Elections, nothing else. It is purely white-sponsored, unscientific, illogical views [of the] apartheid machinery, displayed through ethnic mobilisation. [It is] very regressive. However, it failed.

“Boys will remain boys. We remain unshaken to realise economic freedom in our lifetime," the party said.