Sema Fonkem 30 June 2026

While South African authorities have deployed police units across the country to keep the peace during today’s anti-illegal immigration marches, some social media users have taken advantage of the occasion to create memes criticising the protest, which is led by vigilante organisation March and March.

Hundreds of police officers and armored vehicles from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been seen in business districts across Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, where looting and violence have been reported during previous demonstrations against undocumented foreign nationals.

In 2008, 62 people died in anti-migrant rioting, and in July 2021, over 350 people were killed in the country’s bloodiest unrest since apartheid’s end, after former President Jacob Zuma was imprisoned for contempt of court.

June 30, 2026 is an unofficial date set by March and March vigilante group for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa. During these demonstrations, men wielding sticks and chanting “abahambe” (an isiZulu and isiXhosa word meaning “they must leave”) go from shop to shop demanding foreign nationals to close their businesses and leave South Africa.

During past marches, some South African citizens were victimised by members of the vigilante groups, as evidenced by memes depicting individuals tagging their ID cards and passports in their face caps while driving around the city.