‘We are coming for every undocumented foreign national, no matter the race,’ Cape Town March and March leader says

Anti-undocumented migrant groups marched through Cape Town’s CBD on Thursday, declaring that their campaign targets all undocumented foreign nationals regardless of nationality or race, as they handed a memorandum to the Department of Home Affairs demanding stronger immigration enforcement.

Members of March and March, the Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO), Operation Dudula and supporters braved cold and rainy weather as they marched along Long Street before making stops at the Department of Home Affairs and Parliament.

Although the turnout was smaller than previous demonstrations, organisers said the numbers did not reflect the level of support for their campaign.

March and March Cape Town leader Charlie Roux said the group wanted to dispel what she described as a misconception about its campaign.

“A misconception that we want to clear as a group is that we are only coming for black African nationals from countries like Zimbabwe and Nigeria who are undocumented and in the country illegally. This is not the case. You will find Asians, Chinese and others. We are coming for every undocumented foreigner who is in the country illegally. It does not matter the colour of their skin.” said Roux.

The groups have repeatedly argued that undocumented foreign nationals contribute to unemployment, crime and pressure on public services. Those claims remain contested. Government has consistently maintained that immigration enforcement must take place within the law and has warned against vigilantism and xenophobic intimidation.

Roux said the march to Home Affairs was aimed at urging the department to intensify efforts to identify and deport undocumented foreign nationals.

“We want Home Affairs to do more in terms of seeking out undocumented foreigners who are in the country. We are marching through Long Street because it is one of the many streets in the city that are taken over by foreign nationals. Businesses and business owners are employing undocumented foreign nationals who are running businesses in the street. We are submitting a memorandum and we want a response within 14 days.”

She added that the group also intended to collect a response to an earlier memorandum submitted to Parliament.

As the march moved through Long Street, several businesses temporarily closed their doors while protesters chanted slogans calling on government and law enforcement agencies to act against undocumented migrants.

The memorandum handed to Home Affairs called for government to halt the issuing of certain immigration documents until corruption within the system is addressed.

Among its demands, the group called on the department to “freeze foreign documentation, root out corruption and prioritise the ID documentation of millions of South Africans.”

It also called for what organisers described as a comprehensive digital audit of business permits, work permits, trading permits and asylum documents issued over recent years.

“We want a full digital audit of all business permits, work permits, trading permits and asylum documents issued over the last few years. All permits obtained through bribery and fake documents must be cancelled immediately,” the memorandum states.

The groups further demanded closer cooperation between Home Affairs, the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority to verify the immigration status of foreign nationals arrested for criminal offences.

“Home Affairs must establish links with SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority to verify the immigration status of every foreign national arrested for any crimes immediately. No criminal case must be dropped because Home Affairs is too slow to verify papers.”

Reading the memorandum to supporters outside Home Affairs, Roux concluded by saying: “South Africa belongs to its citizens first. We demand an action plan from Home Affairs within 14 working days on this.”

An official from the Department of Home Affairs accepted and signed the memorandum on behalf of the department. *_-NewZimbabwe_*