Anti-immigration groups have set an unofficial deadline of June 30 for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, threatening a national shutdown if the demand is not met. According to reports from edition.cnn.com, the South African government has rejected the June 30 deadline set by these groups. Thousands of migrants from other African countries have left South Africa ahead of this date as a wave of anti-immigration protests, violent incidents, and political pressure converge. The protests, organized by a civic movement called March and March, follow months of escalating xenophobic violence and organized anti-migrant activism in the world’s most unequal society, where one in three people is without a job and municipal services are failing. The group set their own deadline of June 30 for undocumented migrants to leave the country. Pretoria’s memory of large-scale unrest in July 2021 — when looting and arson left hundreds dead and billions in damage — hangs over the preparations, shaping how officials and businesses are responding. The violence, described as a failed insurrection by President Cyril Ramaphosa, vandalized more than 160 shopping malls, led to tens of thousands of job losses, and cost the economy roughly $3 billion.

South African police have deployed extra officers across all provinces and military units are on standby ahead of the deadline. President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned protesters against intimidation, threats, and ultimatums. He stated that lawful foreign nationals contribute positively to the economy and society and are entitled to protection under the law. Xenophobic violence, including attacks on foreign-owned businesses and killings of immigrants, has occurred in South Africa in recent weeks. Protesters accuse immigrants of stealing jobs, collapsing public services, and causing crime. Demonstrators accuse them, without evidence, of stealing jobs - despite them representing about 4% of the population -, collapsing public services and crime.

Individual accounts highlight the severity of the situation. A Malawian migrant named Kaunga Nyirenda received a death threat from two men in early June, telling him to leave by June 30 or face death. Nyirenda’s experience reflects a broader surge in anti-immigrant sentiment. In recent weeks, protest groups and self-styled vigilantes, who insist their rallies are peaceful, have staged demonstrations that have appeared to spark violent attacks on both documented and undocumented foreign nationals who are being blamed for taking jobs from South Africans, committing crimes and straining public services. Several thousand citizens of other African countries have already left the country in recent weeks fearing violence. Nigerian nationals were repatriated from South Africa to Lagos, Nigeria, on June 11, 2026. Malawian migrants were queued for deportation at a temporary centre in Durban on June 18, 2026.