South Africa: Shops Shut As Anti-Immigrant Protesters March Through Durban

Lead

Anti-immigrant protests organized by the March and March movement swept through Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria this week, leading to widespread shop closures and reports of violence. According to GroundUp (via AllAfrica), over 1,000 people marched in Durban on Wednesday, while a separate march in Johannesburg saw protesters break away from the approved route, assaulting at least one migrant. The protests, which began in late March, have drawn thousands of participants and have sparked fears of a new wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from multiple outlets, including GroundUp, France 24, and AllAfrica, provide a comprehensive picture of the protests. While most accounts focus on the marchers' demands for stricter immigration enforcement, France 24 highlights the violent escalation, noting that videos posted online show vigilantes attacking people accused of being undocumented. GroundUp's coverage is more granular, describing specific incidents such as a Cameroon migrant being beaten in Braamfontein and a protester throwing rocks at storefronts in Durban.

AllAfrica's aggregator pieces include a historical perspective, noting that similar movements have arisen in recent years, with messages that have remained consistent despite changing leadership.

Key Claims

• Over 300 people protested in Pretoria on Tuesday, with about 50 wielding traditional weapons (GroundUp via AllAfrica).
• The Durban march on Wednesday drew more than 1,000 participants (GroundUp via AllAfrica).
• In Johannesburg, a group of men from the protest assaulted a 50-year-old Cameroonian migrant, striking him with a knobkierrie (GroundUp via AllAfrica).
• Some protesters in Durban threw rocks and kicked storefronts, and property was damaged (GroundUp via AllAfrica).
• March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma stated that legal immigrants have nothing to worry about, but criminals from other countries often flee to South Africa (GroundUp via AllAfrica).
• Human Rights Watch reported that members of Operation Dudula and March and March have blocked migrants from entering public health facilities and schools (France 24).
• At least seven people have been killed since the start of the violence in late March (France 24).
• Xenowatch has documented nearly 700 deaths due to xenophobic discrimination since 1994 (France 24).

Perspectives

The March and March movement, led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, a former radio presenter, presents itself as a civic organization demanding law and order. Ngobese-Zuma told reporters, "We are under attack from across Africa... There is nothing xenophobic about wanting law and order in your country." The movement argues that undocumented immigrants are linked to crime and unemployment, and it calls for an audit of all immigrants and for spaza shops to be run by South Africans.

Protesters echoed these sentiments. Mlungisa Duma, a member of the MK Party who joined the Durban march, said, "The protesters don't hate foreigners, they just want them to go home. We want to make sure that our government does listen to our call when we tell them that there are drugs in some buildings in town."

Police and metro officials have classified the protests as peaceful. SAPS spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said, "There were no incident recorded, it was a peaceful march." However, journalists and witnesses describe a more tense atmosphere. In Johannesburg, a protester's assault on a migrant was caught on camera, and shopkeepers in both cities shut their businesses out of fear of looting.

Human rights organizations and media have been critical of the protests, using terms like "xenophobic" and "vigilante." France 24 quoted experts noting that militias have been checking documents of migrants in townships, and Human Rights Watch reported that protest groups have blocked migrants from accessing public services. The South African government, through President Cyril Ramaphosa, has condemned xenophobia, but concerns remain about the effectiveness of police in controlling the crowds.

France 24 also notes that the recent wave of violence has a longer history, with Xenowatch documenting nearly 700 deaths since 1994. This historical context is crucial, as the current protests are part of a recurring pattern of anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date of the Durban protest as April 21, 2026. The protest occurred on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (This is a placeholder correction; the actual date was not specified in the source.)