DURBAN, KWAZULU-NATAL — Law enforcement authorities have confirmed that the KwaZulu-Natal police are fully prepared to maintain public order and respond to any criminal activity surrounding the planned anti-illegal immigration protests scheduled for June 30.
A spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal police emphasized that while citizens have a constitutional right to protest, they equally have a constitutional right not to march. The police urged march organizers to ensure all activities strictly comply with the law. Authorities made it clear that acts of intimidation, public violence, road blockades, and the incitement of violence will be met with swift legal consequences.
Noting that June 30 falls on a normal Tuesday and a regular working day in South Africa, the spokesperson assured the public that a heavy police presence will be deployed. The primary goal is to ensure that residents commuting to work and going about their daily business can do so without fear or intimidation.
Beyond securing the upcoming marches, the police highlighted their ongoing, around-the-clock operations to apprehend individuals undermining the country’s immigration laws. The spokesperson reiterated that being in South Africa without proper documentation is a criminal offense. Furthermore, employing an undocumented foreign national—or a documented foreign national lacking a proper work permit—is also a punishable crime.
Demonstrating the scale of these ongoing enforcement efforts, the spokesperson revealed that KwaZulu-Natal police have arrested 8,556 foreign nationals for being in the country illegally between April 2025 and the present.
“It does not matter where you come from,” the spokesperson stated, affirming that the law will take its course regardless of a person’s nationality.
Meanwhile, the broader immigration issues have highlighted a growing humanitarian situation at a local drive-in site. Malawian nationals awaiting repatriation are pleading for intervention from both the South African and Malawian governments.
Speaking from the camp, the Malawian nationals explained that they originally migrated for economic reasons but are now desperate to return home. They acknowledged that their home government is trying to assist them, but pleaded for the South African government’s help to facilitate their departure, noting that leaving the country is what is expected of them.
Authorities report that the last count of Malawians camped at the drive-in site was an estimated 8,000 individuals, a number that continues to increase daily as the June 30 marches approach.