National shutdown confirmed for South Africa
The anti-illegal-immigration group March and March said it will proceed with its planned national shutdown on 30 June 2026.
While the deadline for illegal immigrants to leave South Africa is approaching, the National Informal Traders Alliance of South Africa (NITASA), representing over two million informal traders, claims that they are focusing on the wrong issue.
In a Talk Radio 702 interview, NITASA General Secretary Samuel Mampapatla said that he condemns violence, threats and harassment against foreign nationals.
In the same note, he also acknowledged that many South Africans have legitimate concerns about illegal migration, pressure on public services, and competition for economic opportunities.
However, while balancing the two problems, Mampapatla said that South Africans are focusing on the wrong problem.
“The root of our problems is that we have the laws and the regulations which are not effectively implemented,” said Mampapatla.
Mampapatla said that if the regulations were implemented correctly, South Africa would not have problems with foreign nationals.
He said that if the correct measures were in place, then the border management system would block illegal immigrants and continue to monitor legal immigrants.
He said that a major problem slowing the growth of South African entrepreneurs is that many municipalities have failed to process permits effectively, maintain proper records, and provide sufficient trading infrastructure.
“The government has to set a conducive environment for its society to be able to succeed,” he said in the interview.
Mampapatla said that the government should not be allowed to help people who are trading illegally, especially if it cannot determine who is trading legally and who is trading illegally.
“We need the support, and we need the proper management and regulation,” he said.
He said the problem is with immigrants who know the correct procedure but choose not to abide by the regulations.
Planned national shutdown
The anti-illegal-immigration group March and March said it will proceed with its planned national shutdown on 30 June.
The announcement came after an urgent meeting held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria in May.
The meeting involved ministers from the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security Cluster to address the escalating protests against illegal immigration across the nation.
March and March has been protesting against illegal immigrants since its formation in early 2025, but tensions have since escalated, with heated clashes in recent weeks.
The civic movement is calling for the immediate and mass deportation of illegal immigrants currently living in South Africa.
Security cluster ministers and high-ranking officials responsible for national security met in Tshwane on Monday to address the situation.
Additionally, ministers met with political parties, groups, and associations involved in the mass protests and community marches against undocumented foreign nationals.
Despite the engagements, March and March has opted to move ahead with a national shutdown on 30 June.
Defence Minister Angie Motshekga said that the right to strike is secured in the Constitution, but warned the protesting groups that “the right goes with certain responsibilities”.
“As much as South Africans have the right to strike, and their anger and their frustration are highly understood, we support them in that it is a free and safe march,” she said.
“All we are asking them is to do so within the framework of the law,” said Motshekga.
Motshekga said that the protests are protected by law, “on the 30th or even the 15th or any other day”, but urged that strikers “treat people with respect despite [their] anger”.
The protesting groups have positioned themselves as being against illegal immigrants only, saying that it is not about xenophobia.
They have laid the blame for several social ills, including high levels of crime and unemployment, at the feet of illegal immigrants.
The protests are now centred on getting undocumented foreigners to leave the country.
Protesters are demanding an increase in the number of immigration officers to enhance the enforcement of the country’s immigration laws.
March and March has also submitted a series of demands to the authorities, which include stricter border controls and the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.
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