Intimidation and confrontation as March and March’s Thursday protests kick off

March and March’s promise to continue protesting every Thursday began taking shape this week, as groups gathered in parts of Johannesburg and elsewhere in the country. The move followed the June 30 shutdown, but the pattern now emerging is not one of protest but of localised intimidation and confrontation under the banner of immigration enforcement. In areas including Alexandra, Katlehong, Boksburg and Rosettenville, groups moved through communities, business areas and informal trading spaces in actions described by organisers and supporters as “peaceful” and “protests” against undocumented migration. But what unfolded on the ground went far beyond protest or demonstration. In Alexandra, a few hundred people marched through the streets in a “door-to-door” campaign targeting houses where undocumented migrants were suspected of staying. In one incident, a group of aggressive men surrounded and harassed a woman trading on the sidewalk, demanding that she tell them her clan names to confirm that she was indeed South African. Street vendor stalls suspected of belonging to migrants were destroyed, people were harassed, and threats were made to damage property belonging to migrants. Before the group left the KwaNobuhle hostel in the morning, organiser Induna Myeza said they would not loot because they “were not hungry”. “We will check for illegal immigrants who hide in houses and put locks on those houses,” he said. Our City News (Our City ) As the mob moved through Alexandra, at one point a man from Mpumalanga stood on the side of the road holding his ID card out to the passing mob to prove that he was South African. Despite this, some of those in the mob denied being driven by tribalism or xenophobia. Mathapelo Senyolo said she was proud to be part of the demonstration and rejected suggestions that it was driven by tribalism. “Yes, many people marching are Zulu people singing Zulu songs, but I can feel the unity. We are all South Africans, fighting for the same goal,” she said. In Katlehong, southeast of Johannesburg, a group of around 200 people also embarked on a “door-to-door” campaign, targeting homes where migrants were renting from South Africans and giving them notice to vacate. The mob eventually made its way to Alex Ngonyama’s panel-beating business in the Phake section of Katlehong, where they harassed Ngonyama and his workers, who they alleged were migrants. “I’m not a foreigner, and I will not shut down my business. If I do, what will I survive on?” he angrily asked the mob. He was told he was breaking the law by employing undocumented migrants and that he would not be allowed to continue operating. An argument ensued between Ngonyama and Katiso Ramothiba, who was the leader of the group, and police had to calm tensions between the two. In Rosettenville, south of Johannesburg, a small group of mostly women gathered and sang outside the local McDonald’s. Some migrant-owned businesses in the immediate vicinity were closed, while others remained open. Vigilante groups were marching to homes and businesses where migrants were living and working in many other parts of Johannesburg on Thursday. Mpho Makhubela, a spokesperson at Lawyers for Human Rights, said they were “not lawful protests” but rather amounted to vigilantism and were inconsistent with South African law and the constitution. “If these actions are allowed to continue unchecked, we risk normalising vigilantism as a substitute for lawful governance,” he said. “That is a dangerous precedent for any democracy because today the targets may be migrants, but tomorrow it could be any group that is perceived as different or unpopular. The rule of law must apply equally to everyone.” Mike Ndlovu of Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia referred to what has been happening as “a crisis of humanity”, dismissing the idea that there was anything peaceful about the activities. This story is produced by Our City News , a nonprofit newsroom serving the people of Johannesburg