March And March Threatens National Shutdown Over Illegal Immigration

Civic movement March and March has given government until the end of June to act against illegal immigration or face a possible national shutdown.

The group said it wants undocumented foreigners removed from South Africa and has called on government to declare illegal immigration a state of emergency.

Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma made the remarks during a media briefing in Umhlanga on Monday night.

March And March Demands Action On Illegal Immigration

Ngobese-Zuma said one of the movement’s key demands was for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country by 30 June 2026.

“We are calling on government to declare a state of emergency for illegal immigration that is currently happening in the country under the banner of this being an invasion of the country,” she said.

“We also would like to call for the legislation to pass laws to reserve the township economy for South African small businesses only, and call upon the president to address the nation in respect to the issues raised before the 30th of June 2026, as our people want to take to the streets on the 30th of June 2026 if this issue is not addressed correctly.”

The movement said it wanted President Cyril Ramaphosa to publicly address the matter before the deadline expires.

Companies Questioned Over Employment Of Foreign Nationals

Ngobese-Zuma said the movement had also engaged major companies regarding the employment of undocumented migrants.

She named businesses including Checkers Sixty60, Mr D and McDonald’s South Africa.

According to Ngobese-Zuma, the group requested details on how many foreign nationals were employed by the companies and the type of permits they held.

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“But what we also noted from that engagement is that the private sector itself is actually losing out. In the meeting, they were complaining about the fact that, for example, there were 800 000 tonnes of tissue that was imported into the country illegally, and it was all placed in tuck shops,” she said.

“So, they’re also feeling the pinch of this entire crisis, and they were calling for better management of the ports and what’s coming in, etc.”

Government Establishes Task Team On Immigration Concerns

The briefing came shortly after an urgent meeting held in Pretoria by ministers in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster.

Government confirmed that a task team of deputy ministers had been established to work alongside law enforcement agencies on immigration-related concerns.

The team will be led by Deputy Minister of Police Polly Boshielo and Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza.