25 June 2026
A march against immigration in Benoni earlier this month. Protesters must stay within the law, MPs have warned. Archive photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
South Africans have the right to raise concerns about immigration, but must do so within the law, said Mosa Chabane (ANC), chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.
Chabane was speaking at a media briefing of the chairpersons of Parliament’s Peace and Security Cluster oversight committees on Thursday.
The briefing comes less than a week before a 30 June “deadline” set by anti-immigrant organisation March and March for undocumented immigrants to leave the country. Protests against immigrants are planned across the country next week.
Thousands of immigrants have already left the country, and thousands more are waiting for repatriation. Some businesses have been closed because of threats.
“South Africans are not xenophobic. We are protected by the Constitution to raise any matter of concern, but we must do that within the framework of the law,” said Chabane.
He reiterated the call that all protests planned for 30 June should be peaceful.
Chabane said March and March had submitted a petition which would be considered by the committee.
People entering the country should do so lawfully, he said. “There are laws and immigration processes. When you want to enter our jurisdiction, you must satisfy those laws.”
Jane Mananiso, chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, said the Border Management Authority was committed to protecting the borders and ensuring immigration processes are followed.
Shawn Koen, project manager at Business Against Crime Western Cape, who attended the briefing, said he was confident the police would maintain law and order on 30 June.
He said marchers had no right to go to businesses and demand to see documentation. “A business cannot employ anyone who is illegal in the country in any case,” he said.
On Wednesday night, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis called for calm. “Now is the time for SAPS and the criminal justice system to step up and enforce the law without fear or favour,” he said.
“No individual or group gets to set deadlines for who may live in South Africa. No one may demand another person’s papers in the street. No one may threaten a family, close a shop, block a road or loot a business,” he said.
Speaking in Cape Town earlier this week, police minister Firoz Cachalia said police were monitoring hotspots and had a plan in place for 30 June.
Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government had adopted a Comprehensive Approach for Migration Management aimed at strengthening border security, enforcing immigration laws, tackling corruption and closing policy loopholes as part of a broader effort to address illegal immigration.
