March and March had previously set June 30 as the deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave the country voluntarily.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ANA Studio
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma announced that supporters will take to the streets every Thursday until the government takes action to remove undocumented immigrants from South Africa.
Addressing protesters outside SAPS Point in Durban on Tuesday after thousands marched through the city, Ngobese-Zuma said the campaign would continue weekly until government responded to their demands.
"For as long as they haven't left, we are marching every Thursday," she told supporters.
She also warned that if authorities continued deploying large numbers of police officers to monitor the demonstrations, the cost to the state would continue to rise.
"We hope government has budget for another R600 million," she said, adding that the continued presence of undocumented immigrants would require ongoing security operations.
Ngobese-Zuma further alleged that drugs were being sold openly in some communities, saying criminal activity linked to undocumented immigration remained a major concern for supporters of the movement.
March and March had previously set June 30 as the deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave the country voluntarily. Ahead of the march, the organisation pledged that the demonstration would remain peaceful and would not result in violence, looting or loss of life.
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has announced that supporters will take to the streets every Thursday until the government takes action to remove undocumented immigrants from South Africa.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ANA Studio
Speaking to thousands of supporters, Ngobese-Zuma said people from different racial and cultural backgrounds had united to call on government to address what she described as the impact of irregular migration on South Africa.
"Thousands of our people have gathered across the length and breadth of our country, united in their diversity – White, Black, Indian, Coloured, Xhosa, Tsonga, Tswana, Swati, Zulu and all the indigenous people of our country longing for a safe and prosperous South Africa."
She said the movement had spent the past 17 months travelling across the country raising awareness about irregular migration and claimed South Africans were facing growing economic hardship, high unemployment and increasing pressure on public services.
She claimed that undocumented foreign nationals were benefiting from services intended for citizens.
Ngobese-Zuma rejected accusations that the movement was driven by xenophobia, insisting it was campaigning for the social and economic wellbeing of South Africans and for what she described as "true and real Pan-Africanism".
"This is not xenophobia and it is not ethnic mobilisation. It is a fight for the social well-being of South Africa in particular and Africa in general," she said.
She also argued that employers were failing to comply with South African labour laws governing the employment of foreign nationals.
Ngobese-Zuma cited the Employment Services Act, saying employers could only employ foreign nationals with valid work visas after establishing that no suitably qualified South Africans were available for the jobs.
Protesters who marched to the Western Cape Legislature also vowed that the June 30 demonstrations mark only the beginning of a sustained campaign against illegal immigration.
The march, organised by the Labour and Civic Organisation (Laco) and March and March, began at the Cape Town Civic Centre before making its way to Wale Street.
Although Cape Town remained largely peaceful, police confirmed an incident of looting in Delft, where one woman and nine men, aged between 18 and 45, were arrested.
Elsewhere in the country, looting incidents were reported in parts of Soweto, while a shooting was reported in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.
In KwaZulu-Natal, police arrested seven suspects in separate incidents linked to crimes targeting foreign nationals, including tuck shop break-ins, robbery, intimidation and the assault of police officers.
In Cape Town, demonstrators demanded that the government prioritise employment opportunities for South Africans and remove undocumented foreign nationals from workplaces across the province.
A memorandum was handed to the Director-General in the Department of the Premier, who told protesters that the Western Cape Government does not have the legal authority to dictate the hiring practices of private companies or make appointments on behalf of non-governmental organisations.
Laco representative Sipho Mahilihili said the government's response had failed to address the protesters' central demands.
Cape Times