According to March And March leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, the 30 June protests was only the beginning.
Ngobese-Zuma was protesting in Durban on Tuesday and also addressed those taking part in the demonstration there. At that time, she announced the intention that her group would march every Thursday for the next three months until the government has responded to their demands.
March and March leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma says protests against undocumented migrants won’t stop until the government meets their demands. Ngobese said the protests today were a success despite what she thinks were attempts to cause division in certain parts of the country.… pic.twitter.com/pxgtV5asBc
— eNCA (@eNCA) June 30, 2026
This is a similar sentiment shared by those leading protests in Cape Town. March and March, Operation Dudula and the Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) led the march on Wale Street, and all shared the sentiment that this was the beginning. They were at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament demanding that the provincial Government urgently respond to its memorandum regarding illegal immigrants in the city.
“I can’t tell the dates but there will be marches, if the government of the Western Cape is not doing anything about this matter. I promise you, there will be marches. And what’s going to happen further than this, I can’t predict, but there will be something that will happen. I’m not threatening anyone, I’m just saying,” said LACO’s National Representative, Nkululeko Magubane.
By the end of Tuesday, the Interministerial Committee on Migration held a meeting, during which Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said he suspects there was a political element behind these demonstrations. He said the Police Ministry would be vigilant in the weeks ahead.
“I have taken note of statements that were made that these marches will continue each Thursday until the next Local Government Election. That suggests to me that there are some involved in mobilising sentiment around the grievances, that are genuine, that there is a political dimension. That this may be part of a project to mobilise politically… That suggests that this is not just about illegal immigration,” said Cachalia.
30 June criminal acts
Meanwhile, the Committee’s chair, Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, said action would be taken against criminals who took advantage of Tuesday’s protests.
Despite most of the protests on the day being relatively peaceful, tensions rose in some areas, particularly in Johannesburg. According to reports, a vehicle was torched in Hillbrow, which resulted in the injuries of two people. There were reportedly also tensions that caused police to react in Germiston and Yeoville, where protestors threw stones at homes in the area. In Durban, protestors reportedly looted several foreign-owned shops in the Marrianridge township, with a similar incident in Cape Town.
READ MORE: Delft police arrest 10 suspects after shop looted in Main Road – Smile 90.4FM
“Those who chose to exploit the marches to commit criminal acts will face the full might of the law,” said Kubayi.
Inter Ministerial Committee on migration briefs media on 30 June demonstrations #GovZAUpdates #ManagingMigration https://t.co/AZCVa7zSbI
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) June 30, 2026
