Thousands March Through Durban in Major Anti-Immigrant Protest

The streets of Durban’s central business district fell silent Wednesday except for the thunderous chants of thousands of protesters who marched down Dr Pixley KaSeme Street to the Point precinct in what observers described as the largest demonstration of anti-immigrant sentiment in recent memory.

The diverse coalition of demonstrators included amabutho representing Zulu royal regiments, members of the March and March movement, Operation Dudula supporters, and representatives from the Amabhinca Nation. Many brandished traditional weapons including sjamboks, assegais, and shields as they formed a human chain around a building on Mahatma Gandhi Road, which they claimed was occupied by foreigners using it as a drug den.

Heavily armed law enforcement officers from multiple units accompanied the protesters, including tactical units and public order police. When demonstrators surrounded the targeted building, police officers entered the premises to investigate the claims.

Protesters told reporters they had evidence of illegal activity at the location and alleged some police officers were accepting bribes to ignore these operations. One demonstrator explained their actions were partly in response to recent comments from KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who had urged citizens to report illegal activity to police rather than taking direct action against foreigners.

The demonstration follows a series of confrontations two weeks earlier when anti-immigrant protesters shut down sections of the Durban CBD while conducting what they called “clean-up campaigns” – literally sweeping streets and collecting trash. During those actions, protesters also performed citizen’s arrests, confronting shop owners and traders in what they described as efforts to remove undocumented foreign nationals.

The tensions escalated after videos circulated on social media showing violent confrontations, including one depicting a man being slammed against a pole and beaten. Initially, speculation suggested the victim was a Ghanaian national who couldn’t produce documentation to protesters, though March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma later claimed the person was South African.

These incidents have sparked diplomatic tensions across Africa. Ghana’s foreign affairs minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa engaged with South African international relations minister Ronald Lamola, emphasizing “Ghana’s support for the anti-apartheid struggle” and stating that “unprovoked harassment and attacks on law-abiding individuals are contrary to the principles of African solidarity.”

Nigerian officials have reacted even more forcefully after rumors spread that two Nigerian citizens were killed and others beaten in what they characterized as xenophobic attacks. During a heated Nigerian Senate debate, officials criticized South Africa’s government response and threatened economic retaliation.

Senator Victor Umeh advocated for African Union sanctions against South Africa, while Minority leader Abba Moro condemned the South African government for what he described as inaction. Senator Adams Oshiomhole suggested economic measures, including potentially withdrawing licenses from South African companies operating in Nigeria, such as MTN and DStv.

Nigerian Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the alleged attacks as “Stone Age behavior” and criticized what he perceived as a lack of decisive action from South African authorities.

In response to the diplomatic fallout, International Relations Department spokesperson Chrispin Phiri confirmed that Minister Lamola held a telephone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu. The ministers agreed to collaborate on addressing root causes and improving relations between their citizens.

Phiri expressed concern about the spread of disinformation, noting that rumors of Nigerian citizens being killed were unverifiable. “There is an increase in fake news around some of these things – that is something which concerns us. Who is painting South Africans as violent and xenophobic but also producing information that is not evidence-based about some of the actions of some foreigners in the country?”

Presidency Minister Vincent Magwenya rejected characterizations of the protests as evidence of inherent xenophobia, calling such analysis “lazy” and noting that President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mozambican President Daniel Chapo recently agreed that deeper issues were at play.

“There are genuine concerns that communities have with respect to crime, crimes that are committed by foreign nationals,” Magwenya said. “The president expects law enforcement to act without any fear or favor, and also to say to those who are visitors in our country, they must respect and conform with our laws.”