Hundreds of people protested illegal immigration in Durban, South Africa, on Wednesday, September 30, as March and March held demonstrations in several provinces. The group had set that date as an unofficial deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave the country. Organizers said the marches also denounced gender-based violence.
The Protest and Its Deadline
March and March announced September 30 as an unofficial departure deadline for undocumented immigrants, then held demonstrations across several provinces. The deadline wasn't a government order, according to the report, and authorities haven't adopted it as policy. Hundreds gathered in Durban to protest illegal immigration. The report gives no more precise attendance figure and doesn't detail demands beyond the deadline or any government response.
South Africa has faced an intense anti-immigration campaign over the past several months, the report says. Episodes of violence against foreign citizens have formed part of that campaign. Several immigrants have been killed, but South African and foreign authorities dispute the official death toll. The report provides neither a confirmed total nor the competing figures cited by authorities.
More than 200,000 people have fled South Africa, according to an AFP tally based on figures released by African governments that repatriated their nationals. The tally draws on those government figures, but the report offers no country-by-country breakdown, doesn't identify those who left beyond the description of repatriated nationals, and doesn't say how many departed because of the protests. So the number is AFP’s cited tally, not a separate count from the organizers.
Violence Against Women
Organizers said Wednesday’s marches also denounced gender-based violence. Public alarm grew after the discovery of bodies renewed concern about persistently high levels of violence against women. The report doesn't say whether every protest gave the issue equal attention or whether organizers presented a detailed program on women’s safety.
At least 11 women had been killed in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, since mid-July. The report calls the cases femicides that shocked the country, but gives no further details about the victims or the circumstances of the killings. It doesn't connect those deaths to undocumented immigration or to foreign citizens targeted in anti-immigration violence.
Government Response
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures to better protect women on Tuesday, September 29. The report doesn't describe the measures or explain how officials will implement them. It also doesn't say whether the announcements responded to the demonstrations.
Two issues came into view in the reported events: marches demanding that undocumented immigrants leave, and organizers’ stated condemnation of violence against women. The information identifies the protesters’ deadline, reported deaths and departures, and the president’s announcement, but offers no details of a new immigration policy or a transfer of authority over immigration decisions.