Durban anti-immigrant campaign sees arrests, violence amid clean-up effort

Week-long March and March initiative escalated as protesters apprehended people suspected of lacking legal documentation.

A week-long clean-up campaign in Durban organised by anti-immigrant group March and March escalated into confrontations as participants apprehended people they suspected of being in South Africa illegally.¹²

On Wednesday, protesters who joined the campaign later in the day began conducting citizens' arrests, while members of the MK Party also participated in the event.¹ Until approximately 11am, participants focused on sweeping streets and collecting rubbish, but as more people arrived, the nature of the activity changed.¹

In one incident, a man suspected of lacking legal documentation sheltered behind metro police officers, who told reporters it was their duty to protect him.¹ Lindani Xulu, a March and March member and campaign organiser, said the initiative's aim was to clean the streets.¹ When altercations broke out as people were chased and apprehended, Xulu and other organisers attempted to de-escalate the situation, according to his account.¹ Xulu stated that citizens' arrests were acceptable if they remained peaceful.¹

Xulu said those chasing people suspected of being immigrants were not wearing March and March clothing but appeared to be individuals who joined the clean-up later.¹ Some interactions turned violent, with people being shoved and hit.² Participants also entered stores demanding to see vendor permits and in some cases forced owners to close.²

By Friday, the campaign proceeded peacefully after metro police and SAPS met with March and March organisers.² Approximately 20 people walked streets with refuse bags collecting litter, beginning around 11am.² Most stores along the route, mainly on Bertha Mkhize Street, remained closed, while metro police lined the road monitoring participants.² Metro Police spokesperson Victor Zungu said authorities met with organisers to issue warnings about conduct.²