Acting National Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia, meeting with the marchers on Saturday. Photo Credit: Luyanda Danca, NNA News

NNA News – Hundreds gathered at Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, on Sunday to push for stricter enforcement of South Africa’s immigration laws ahead of 30 June, a date that has become a focal point for protests across the country. 

The march ran under the theme “Our Township, For Our Future”. Community organisations were on the ground, with support from the MK Party and ActionSA. Those who turned out spoke about undocumented immigration, joblessness, housing shortages, and the pressure foreign-owned informal businesses place on local traders.

The 30 June date traces back to an AI-generated poster that falsely bore the South African coat of arms. No state body issued it, but groups including March and March; Operation Dudula"; and United South Africa have since used it to mobilise demonstrations calling for tougher immigration enforcement. Orlando East resident Sindiswa Bengu was at the Kliptown site and spoke about housing and jobs. “They have illegally registered RDP houses while some South African citizens are still without adequate shelter,” Bengu told NNA News. “They have also occupied vacancies on local farms while many of us remain unemployed.”

Kgotso Molawu of Dobsonville also took the floor and questioned where government priorities lie. “[The government] has set aside R600 million to protect foreigners while our children are sleeping hungry,” Molawu added. Lumkile Mkhaliphi, a community leader, clarified that the protest targeted undocumented migrants, not foreign nationals as a whole. “We are not saying everyone should leave,” Mkhaliphi told NNA News. “We are saying those who are in the country illegally should leave and return through the proper legal channels.”

Protesters gathered outside the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, on Sunday. Photo Credit: Luyanda Danca, NNA News

Orlando East community commander Enoch Ndlovu also supported that view, explaining that the issue was enforcement, not nationality.  “We are not fighting people because of their nationality,” Ndlovu said. “South Africans simply want greater control over their sovereign state.” Who also added that the Kliptown action, is playing out as immigration policy and border management dominate public debate, with other groups preparing activities around the same campaign.

In response, the Department of Home Affairs said on 9 April 2026 that the Border Management Authority (BMA), working alongside the department, had carried out more than 600,000 repatriations and deportations of undocumented foreign nationals since the Government of National Unity came into office. The department also stated that it continues to implement enforcement measures in accordance with South African law.