On 30 June 2026, thousands of South Africans marched through the centres of Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and other cities to demand the departure of undocumented foreign nationals, marking the expiration of an unofficial deadline set by a coalition of anti-immigrant citizen groups. A heavy deployment of police and military personnel kept the demonstrations largely peaceful, though isolated incidents of looting and stone-throwing led to several arrests. The protests capped weeks of escalating intimidation that, according to South African police, have already driven more than 25,000 people—mostly from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Nigeria—to flee the country, while at least four foreign nationals have been killed in xenophobic attacks since April.

The protest organisers, led by the March and March movement and allied vigilante groups such as Operation Dudula, attribute South Africa’s high crime rates and unemployment above 30 per cent to the presence of undocumented migrants. They have called for a “rolling mass action” until all irregular foreigners are deported, though they publicly disavow violence. President Cyril Ramaphosa met with protest leaders on the eve of the marches and, in a public statement, acknowledged that “deep concerns about illegal immigration … are real and they deserve to be heard,” while insisting that the right to protest “does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others.” The government has simultaneously announced stricter enforcement of immigration laws and border controls, and the police ministry reported that about 50,000 undocumented migrants have been arrested since January.

The exodus has drawn in multiple African governments. Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have organised flights and buses to repatriate their citizens, with Nigerian authorities reporting that over 600 nationals have been evacuated. In Durban and Johannesburg, thousands of foreign nationals—including those with legal residency—have been evicted by landlords or dismissed by employers fearing reprisals, and many have camped outside consulates seeking assistance. Analysts in Johannesburg note that the anti-migrant campaign has been “politically weaponised” ahead of municipal elections scheduled for November, with some political parties, including the MK party of former president Jacob Zuma, amplifying anti-immigrant rhetoric to mobilise support.

South Africa has a long record of xenophobic violence, most notably in 2008 when 62 people were killed, and again in 2015 and 2019. The country hosts an estimated three million foreign nationals, about 5 per cent of the population, the majority from neighbouring southern African states. Viewed from other African capitals, the unrest has strained diplomatic relations and tarnished South Africa’s post-apartheid reputation as a rights defender. The organisers have vowed to continue their campaign beyond the 30 June deadline, while the government has pledged to accelerate immigration reforms and strengthen border security. The next concrete steps include further repatriation flights and a promised parliamentary debate on immigration policy.