South Africa’s anti-immigration movement, March and March, has renewed its campaign against undocumented foreigners, setting September 30 as the deadline for what it described as the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
The group made the declaration on Monday during a protest in central Durban, where it marched to coincide with the 46th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
March and March used the protest to send a message to African leaders attending the summit, staging the demonstration under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people.”
The movement urged governments across the continent to take responsibility for their citizens residing in South Africa without valid immigration documents.
The latest protest follows a nationwide demonstration organised by the group on June 30, when it demanded stricter immigration enforcement and vowed to sustain its campaign until its demands were addressed.
Announcing what it called the second phase of its June 30 action, the group said, “We are announcing the second wave of the 30 June National Day of Action and calling on the heads of state to prepare for the massive deportation of all illegal foreigners from South Africa by 30 September, which will be the mother of all protests.”
It also called on South Africans to assist law enforcement agencies in identifying undocumented immigrants.
South Africans must follow the law and remain the eyes and ears of the police against any illegal foreigners in the country,” the movement said.
The 46th SADC Summit, being held in Durban, has brought together heads of state and government from the regional bloc’s 16 member countries.
The protest has further intensified concerns over the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa, particularly citizens from other African countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemned discrimination and violence against foreign nationals, acknowledging the negative impact of xenophobic incidents on South Africa’s relations with its neighbours.
“We are deeply ashamed that people from other countries have suffered ill-treatment and that others have been forced to leave the country because of threats of violence,” Ramaphosa said.
