Thousands of people march in several South African cities on June 30, following a call from around 20 organisations urging authorities to tighten immigration policy and require undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. Reports describe the demonstrations as largely peaceful, though a small number of arrests occur related to attempted looting. The protests follow weeks of unrest and confrontations between South Africans and immigrants, in which at least four people die.
Police say more than 25,000 undocumented migrants have already left South Africa since the campaign began. Authorities keep a heightened security presence, with police reporting that they remain on high alert for the rest of the evening.
Coverage across outlets emphasizes that the demonstrations are aimed at expelling undocumented foreigners and that the actions come amid broader tensions over migration. While the scale of participation is described as “thousands” to “tens of thousands,” all accounts link the rallies to the same demand and the same preceding weeks of incidents.
