Cape Town – Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Middelburg central business district on Tuesday as the March and March movement led a demonstration targeting buildings allegedly linked to drug activity and occupied by undocumented foreign nationals.
The protest, which had received prior approval from the South African Police Service (SAPS), focused on several CBD buildings which community members claim are being used for drug-related activities and are housing undocumented foreign nationals.
Some protesters were seen raising sticks and sjamboks in Van Blerk Square, where March and March organisers addressed the crowd before the march proceeded through the city’s main streets. Despite the tense atmosphere, organisers maintained that the demonstration remained under control.
A March and March representative told attendees that the group had received reports about activities inside the targeted buildings.
“We were told that a lot of things are happening in this building,” The Citizen quoted the official as saying.
The official also claimed that residents appeared to have been alerted before the group arrived.
“When we went in, we noticed that the foreigners ran away when they heard that March and March was coming. They even removed keys from their doors,” the official said.
Organisers stressed that their focus was not on individuals, but rather on what they described as failures in immigration enforcement.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday, announcing a range of measures aimed at strengthening immigration enforcement. These include intensified deportations, tighter border control, and increased inspections targeting undocumented foreign nationals and employers who hire them.
According to IOL, March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has rejected the President’s call for immigration enforcement to remain solely in the hands of the state.
She argued that government is failing to enforce existing laws effectively, claiming that border management is significantly under-resourced.
“The border is operating at 25% capacity. So, 75% of our border is open,” she said.
Ngobese-Zuma also questioned how government intends to intensify deportations with what she claimed are only about 800 immigration officers nationwide.
She further disputed Ramaphosa’s position that communities should not be involved in identifying undocumented immigrants.
“The government is trying to deal with the immigration crisis without the people,” she said, adding: “In Section 24 of the Immigration Act and the Criminal Procedure Act, we (the people) are entitled to enforce citizens’ arrest. The president cannot simply ignore and disown that.”
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
