South African police fired rubber bullets and tear gas on Wednesday, 25th of March, 2026 to disperse hundreds of protesters demanding tougher action against foreigners in the coastal city of Durban.
The demonstration, organized by the March and March movement to mark its first anniversary, drew hundreds of demonstrators from like-minded groups and political parties, including Operation Dudula, ActionSA, the Patriotic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party, and some Zulu regiments.
Protesters marched through the streets waving placards and chanting, with Nigerians and other African migrants explicitly named among those they want expelled from the country.
Tensions flared when a group of demonstrators attempted to deviate from their designated route and march toward the Point area in South Beach, known for its high concentration of foreign nationals.
Police deployed pepper spray after repeated attempts to stop this splinter group from confronting foreigners in that area. Anticipating trouble, some business owners had shuttered their premises long before the march began.
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, whose rhetoric was widely condemned as xenophobic, questioned why undocumented foreigners were permitted access to public healthcare, while other speakers called for the mass deportation of undocumented migrants.
The protests are unfolding against a backdrop of deep economic frustration. South Africa, the continent’s most industrialized economy, draws migrants from across Africa despite an unemployment rate hovering around 32 percent, and Nigerian traders and entrepreneurs often highly visible in townships and urban centers have repeatedly borne the brunt of anti-immigrant anger.
With local elections now less than a year away, critics warn the march is less a spontaneous expression of public anger than a calculated political mobilization, using Nigerian migrants and other foreigners as electoral ammunition. Nigeria’s Diaspora Commission said it had not yet received formal reports of attacks on Nigerians stemming from Wednesday’s events.
