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South Africa Sees Anti-Migrant Protests and Mass Departures on June 30 Deadline
Tens of thousands of foreign nationals fled parts of the country ahead of demonstrations. Police maintained a heavy presence at sites nationwide while several thousand people marched in cities including Durban.
Jun 30, 5:19 PM·1m read8 sources
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Protests against undocumented migrants took place across South Africa on June 30, the day set by campaign groups as an unofficial deadline for them to leave the country. Thousands of people participated in the demonstrations, with more than 2,000 marching through Durban city centre. Tens of thousands of foreign nationals fled parts of South Africa ahead of or during the protests.
Police stated that more than 25,000 people had been repatriated by June 30, with several African governments organizing buses or planes to assist citizens. In Durban, streets were unusually quiet and many shops remained shuttered on June 30, The Guardian reported. A heavy security deployment including helicopters, police, and private security in armoured vehicles was visible in the city.
The Guardian also reported that at least four people were killed during the weeks-long anti-foreigner campaign preceding the June 30 protests. A 29-year-old Malawian national was killed by a mob after a protest in Pietermaritzburg on June 19. Hundreds of families camped outside an abandoned building in Pietermaritzburg on the eve of the protests.
Jackson Makungwa, a 29-year-old Malawian migrant who had lived in South Africa for 10 years, left the country around June 30 after being unable to renew his work permit for the past two years. Lydia Mpingashato, a Zimbabwean migrant who had lived in the same township for 17 years, was dismissed from her job as a cleaner and fled with her 17-year-old son after being threatened on June 27.
She said a man told her he would burn her house and kill her family.
South Africa is home to about 2.4 million foreigners according to 2022 census data. Police have arrested more than 50,000 undocumented migrants since January 2026. President Cyril Ramaphosa met some protest leaders on the night of June 29 and warned against vigilantism.
Nkosi Ndlovu, a 48-year-old pastor, stated on June 30: “We have been talking nicely. Tomorrow, we’re not going to talk.
