Protest in South Africa against illegal immigration

(30 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Johannesburg, South Africa - 30 June 2026 1. Various of crowd at protest 2. Wide of protesters and police vehicles during protest 3. Various of protesters marching 4. Wide of protester throwing traditional African protective medicine on other demonstrators 5. SOUNDBITE (isiZulu) Nompumelelo Dladla, Johannesburg Resident: "I have children at home, I’m an aunt, my friends have children. I wish to see a bright future for them. As you can see it is being destroyed, we have a drug problem.” 6. Various of protesters gathering and chanting 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ngizwe Mchunu, protest organizer: "This country, it is a country where anyone can come into place. Now is the time for us to be serious about the illegal immigrants matter and making sure that our country is back on its feet again.” 8. Mid of protesters raising fists and chanting 9. Various of protestors holding sticks and flags 10. Wide of crowd marching STORYLINE: Thousands of demonstrators gathered in parts of South Africa to rally against illegal immigration on Tuesday in the biggest migration-related protests since anti-migrant violence broke out in the country in 2008. The protests come after some groups set what they called a June 30 deadline for the departure of all migrants who are in the country illegally. The demonstrators blame those migrants for causing unemployment among South Africans by accepting low wages, and for other problems including high crime. South Africa's government has rejected the deadline, saying only authorities can enforce immigration laws. The most prominent groups opposing illegal immigration include March and March, Operation Dudula and Progressive Forces. President Cyril Ramaphosa met Monday night with leaders of some of the groups and asked them to conduct peaceful demonstrations. Ngizwe Mchunu, one of the protest leaders, told The Associated Press that he blamed illegal migration for a proliferation of illicit drugs in South Africa. He also complained about the high percentage of informal neighborhood shops run by immigrants from other African countries, saying they should all be owned by South Africans. The South African police deployed hundreds of officers in cities including Johannesburg in Gauteng province and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province to prepare for potential violence. Previous marches against illegal immigration have resulted in attacks on migrants and vandalism of foreign-owned businesses. In Johannesburg, some shops owned by foreign nationals were closed before the arrival of protesters on Tuesday. In some parts of the country, private security firms were protecting businesses. Protesters marching through Johannesburg’s city center Tuesday included many carrying traditional fighting sticks and women of all ages. Some wore the South African flag and sang liberation songs. "I have children at home, I’m an aunt, my friends have children. I wish to see a bright future for them. As you can see is being destroyed, we have a drug problem,” said Nompumelelo Dladla, a Johannesburg resident. Demonstrators also gathered Tuesday in parts of Durban with reports of more protesters in parts of the North West and Free State provinces. Thousands of migrants, primarily from neighboring Zimbabwe and Malawi, gathered at their embassies and consulates to request transport back to their countries. There has been increased traffic over the past few days at the Beitbridge checkpoint along the Zimbabwe border as buses carrying migrants left South Africa. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...