WATCH | Diepsloot remains calm as anti-migrant march anxiety hangs in the air

People in Diepsloot, north of Joburg, are going about their normal daily lives — though anxiety and uncertainty still hang in the air as the June 30 anti-migrant marches sweep through parts of the country on Tuesday.

Anti-illegal immigration groups like March and March have gathered to hit the streets of Joburg, mainly with approved plans, in the CBD and Midrand.

The community of Diepsloot are on high alert. Some residents said they heard minor disturbances in the early hours of the morning, with small groups chanting “abahambe” and “Zimbabweans must go”.

SAPS and Tshwane metro police members gathered at Church Square in Pretoria on Tuesday before the planned anti-illegal immigration marches. The visible law enforcement presence is part of preparations to monitor the demonstrations and maintain public order. Police are expected to be deployed at key locations around the city to manage crowds; ensure the safety of participants and the public; and respond to any potential disruptions. Authorities have urged demonstrators to protest peacefully and to comply with the law during the marches. TimesLIVE

The area is known to have high concentration of foreigners and has been a hotspot for anti-migrant violence in the past.

Melda Mudzinani, a community member and hawker who’s been in Diepsloot since 1996, said she woke up at 4am on Tuesday.

“I’ve been in Diepsloot since 1996 and have never had any problems. I am not necessarily afraid. Why would I be afraid when I am not from outside? I’m from Venda,” she said.

Story audio is generated using AI With anti-migrant sentiment escalating in South Africa, Malawian John Allen threw some clothes in a bag, said goodbye to his South African girlfriend and their one-year-old son, and left to catch a bus out of the country. He has now been waiting in a makeshift camp in the city of Durban for four days with thousands of other people hoping to depart before June 30, an unofficial deadline set by anti-immigrant groups for all undocumented foreigners to leave. Although the government has not condoned the deadline and condemns the violence, it has been criticised by other African states and civil society groups for failing to stamp it out. “The reason I would like to stay is I feel bad for my child. He’s too young. When I’m gone, who’s going to support him?” said Allen, 30. The child’s mother, who is South African, only earns about R500 a week as a cleaner, but Allen had been earning four times that doing contract work for a manufacturing company, although he was undocumented. As anti-immigrant protests surged in recent weeks, some of the foreigners in his neighbourhood were beaten up, he said, and now almost everyone has left. “There’s two options: I can lose my life or I can leave,” he told Reuters, standing with other men amid piles of luggage, waiting for a bus. Many migrants still frantically trying to get out Hundreds of people still remained at the giant empty lot in Durban on Monday, where Malawians flocked for safety ahead of protests due on Tuesday to mark the deadline. Although they say they target only illegal immigrants, the vigilantes often don’t discriminate, and many migrants whose status is entirely legal have been attacked or had their property trashed. Women and babies huddled together, sitting on cardboard or blankets, while aid groups handed out food and clothing. Some people have been here for a week waiting their turn, with buses departing one after another. The department of home affairs has set up a tent where it is processing people for deportation, although authorities are currently focused on moving them out of Durban to a border post in Musina ahead of the protests, which many fear will turn violent, as past ones have. No one here wanted to risk staying in South Africa beyond the deadline. Several said they were afraid they might be killed. Amadou Awali looked dejected as he held up his phone to show a photo of a toddler. He is leaving two young sons behind, and their mother doesn’t have the means to support them, he said. “I’m worried for the children,” said Awali, who has been in South Africa doing plumbing and construction work since 2019. He plans to wait a few months and then come back. Reuters

“The shops are closed, especially on this street and around [here]. No one has come to open them because they are all afraid.

“There were some problems in the night. They gathered here in the night before running down the road chanting.”

Mudzinani said she is also going to close shop as she doesn’t want to be singled out.

The police presence remains heavy in the area, with Sowetan seeing at least four vans circulating the area.

Sowetan