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South Africa Police Report 25,000 Repatriations as 29 June Deadline Passes; Ramaphosa Meets Protest Organizers
Demonstrations took place in multiple cities on 29 June 2026 with heavy police deployment. Authorities reported 25,000 repatriations of undocumented foreigners since earlier protests began this year.
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South African police said 25,000 undocumented foreigners had been repatriated as of 29 June 2026, with most coming from other African countries. More than 12,000 immigrants have been deported or repatriated since a wave of protests began earlier in 2026, according to government figures.
Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have organised repatriations by air or bus in recent weeks, with about 3,500 foreigners volunteering to leave.
Police maintained a heavy security presence in most cities, including Johannesburg and Durban, where many shops remained closed and officers were visible on major streets. Five people were arrested in Soweto for allegedly looting a foreign-owned shop, and five others were arrested for allegedly breaking into a tuck shop in Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Police seized one machete at a march in Durban.
President Cyril Ramaphosa met some protest leaders on 28 June and urged demonstrators to refrain from intimidation, threats or ultimatums. In his weekly newsletter he stated that some foreign nationals live in South Africa lawfully and are entitled to the protection of the country's laws and Constitution.
He also wrote that the right to protest does not allow threats, intimidation, vandalism or violence.
South African authorities claim more than 500 repatriated Nigerians did not have correct papers, a claim Nigeria has disputed. There are more than three million documented foreign nationals in South Africa, according to official figures. According to the African Centre for Migration and Society's Xenowatch tracker, two people have been killed in xenophobic violence in South Africa in 2026.
More than 60 people died during a wave of rioting against non-South Africans in 2008.
Nelson Mbewe, a Malawian, said he had gone to South Africa in search of employment to support his family but accepted he had to return home. Hassan Phiri, another Malawian still awaiting processing, said Africa must remain united. One undocumented Malawian told the BBC he was happy to be going back but heartbroken to leave behind four young children.
