South Africa Anti-Migrant Group Sets September 30 Deportation Deadline
March and March, a South African anti-immigration movement, has announced September 30, 2026 as the deadline for what it calls a "mass deportation" push targeting undocumented foreign nationals. The group made the announcement while protesting outside the 46th SADC Summit in Durban, under the theme "It's time to fetch your people," directly challenging South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's own call for African governments to end mistreatment of migrants.
What Happened at the SADC Summit
March and March staged a protest on August 17, 2026 — the final day of the 46th Ordinary Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit — outside the venue in Durban, where leaders from the bloc's 16 member states had gathered. National spokesperson Sandile Dube announced what the group called the "second wave" of its June 30 National Day of Action:
"The March and March movement hereby announces its second wave of June 30 National Day of Action and calls on all heads of state to prepare for a massive deportation of all illegal foreign nationals in South Africa by September 30, 2026."
The group described the planned September action as the "mother of all protests," saying it was in a "structurally better position" to mobilize than it had been in June.
Who Is March and March?
March and March is a South African civic movement led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, campaigning specifically against undocumented immigration. Its June 30, 2026 protests involved more than 20 civic groups demonstrating across all nine of South Africa's provinces — one of the larger coordinated anti-immigration actions the country has seen in recent years. Those protests were accompanied by security operations, and police reported incidents of attacks and looting in some areas.
Beyond the September deadline, the movement is also calling on police to retract a July 2026 national instruction circular it describes as unconstitutional, and is urging South Africans to act as "the eyes and ears of police" by reporting people suspected of being in the country illegally.
What the Group Says vs. What the Government Says
The protest directly contradicted the message South Africa's own president delivered to the same summit days earlier. Speaking at the University of KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the SADC gathering, President Ramaphosa said:
"If we are serious about building an integrated region, we must build a Southern Africa in which the equal rights of all people are respected, where all people are treated decently."
Ramaphosa has separately said South Africans should be "deeply ashamed" that foreign nationals from other African countries have faced ill-treatment and, in some cases, been driven out of communities through threats of violence — remarks widely read as a direct response to the kind of campaign March and March represents.
The tension sits at the center of a genuinely contested debate: March and March frames its campaign as enforcing existing immigration law and addressing legitimate community grievances, including concerns its supporters have raised about violence against South Africans who report undocumented residents. Human rights advocates and the South African government, by contrast, have raised concern that this kind of organized pressure campaign risks fueling xenophobic violence against African migrants broadly, documented in prior years through incidents of looting and attacks tied to similar mobilizations.
Why This Matters Beyond South Africa
The September 30 deadline directly concerns citizens of other African nations living in South Africa without documentation, including nationals from Nigeria and other SADC and non-SADC countries. The demand was explicitly addressed to "heads of state" attending the summit, calling on their governments to "take responsibility" for undocumented citizens.
South Africa is set to hold the SADC chairpersonship for the 2026–2027 term under Ramaphosa, putting the country in a position where its handling of both regional diplomacy and domestic immigration pressure will draw continued scrutiny.
What Happens If the Deadline Passes
March and March has not disclosed specific logistics or locations for a September 30 action beyond describing it as a larger-scale repeat of the June 30 protests. The South African government has not indicated it plans to conduct the kind of "mass deportation" the movement is demanding by that date — deportation of undocumented individuals in South Africa follows existing immigration enforcement procedures, not a movement-set deadline. Anyone directly affected by immigration status questions in South Africa should verify their situation through South Africa's Department of Home Affairs rather than relying on protest announcements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the March and March movement?
A South African civic organization campaigning against undocumented immigration, led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, known for large coordinated protest actions.
What happens on September 30, 2026?
March and March has announced plans for a large-scale protest it's calling the "mother of all protests," demanding mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals — but this is a protest demand, not a government-enforced deadline.
Has the South African government agreed to this deadline?
No official government commitment to a September 30 mass deportation has been reported. President Ramaphosa has publicly criticized mistreatment of foreign nationals rather than endorsing the movement's demands.
Does this affect Nigerians living in South Africa?
The demand applies broadly to undocumented nationals from any country, including Nigerians. Anyone concerned about their immigration status should confirm their situation directly with South Africa's Department of Home Affairs or their embassy.
Were the June 30 protests violent?
Police reported attacks and looting in some areas during the June 30 demonstrations, according to available reporting, though the protests themselves involved coordinated civic groups across all nine provinces.
- SADC official site — for summit outcomes and regional statements.