Residents from several hostels across Johannesburg took to the streets yesterday to protest against illegal immigration, following a series of demonstrations by the March and March Movement calling for stricter border controls and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.
Protesters accused undocumented immigrants of being involved in criminal activity, with one demonstrator stating that “illegal foreign nationals” are allegedly committing crimes against South Africans. The marchers also expressed frustration over housing and municipal regulations, claiming that foreign nationals are allowed to erect structures without facing the same penalties as locals.
“You cannot come and put up a shack here; the municipality will come and demolish it,” a spokesperson for the hostel residents said, speaking in a mix of local languages and English. “But they know… when it comes to houses, they get away with it.”
Another resident spokesperson emphasized that the action was not rooted in hatred but in a demand for legal order. “We are doing what is right when we say foreign people must go to their country and fix their countries,” the spokesperson stated. “We are saying it properly. We do not hate them; we love them with no… xenophobia.”
The demonstrators also directed criticism toward the government, accusing authorities of failing to uphold the law. “The government was voted in by us,” one leader said. “After Johannesburg, after Parliament… we are coming.”
The March and March Movement has not yet released an official response to the latest protests. No arrests or violence were reported following the march.
