Anti-immigration demonstrations in South Africa have intensified sharply, with a group calling for a nationwide shutdown on Monday, May 4, 2026, as the United Nations issues a formal warning and African governments deepen their diplomatic responses.
The group, which describes itself as Concerned Citizens and Voters of South Africa, is organising the shutdown around the slogan “Send the foreigners home,” demanding the removal of all foreign nationals from the country. The call comes after weeks of rolling marches in Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, and Cape Town that have increasingly turned confrontational.
The marches have been led primarily by two organisations, March and March, fronted by former radio personality Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, and Operation Dudula, led by Zandile Dabula. Both groups deny that their campaigns constitute xenophobia, framing their demands as calls for immigration law enforcement and mass deportations of undocumented migrants. They have also called for an audit of foreign-owned businesses and tighter visa regulations. Critics, including the United Nations and several African governments, have rejected that framing, pointing to incidents of violence, looting, and the targeting of foreign nationals regardless of their documentation status.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres formally condemned the attacks and the broader anti-migrant campaign this week, calling on South African authorities to protect all persons within the country’s borders irrespective of nationality. The statement, issued through UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, also urged Pretoria to implement its own National Action Plan against Racism and Xenophobia.
South Africa’s unemployment rate stands at approximately 32 percent, a figure protest organisers have consistently cited as justification for their campaign. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi addressed the unrest publicly, pledging to pursue policy solutions while stopping short of endorsing the marches.
As previously reported by NewsGhana, Ghana has evacuated a Ghanaian national at the centre of a viral confrontation in KwaZulu-Natal, summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner in Accra, and called on the continent to act in solidarity against the violence. Nigeria has also issued formal safety advisories to its citizens in South Africa. South African authorities have confirmed that suspects in the attacks on Ghanaian nationals are known and that investigations are underway.
The diplomatic fallout continues to widen. Analysts have warned that South Africa’s standing as a destination for intra-African investment and migration is at risk, with companies including MTN and Standard Bank, which operate extensively across the continent, potentially exposed to retaliatory pressure.
South Africa’s acting police minister Firoz Cachalia has described xenophobic attacks as unlawful and unconstitutional, and has vowed that perpetrators will face prosecution. Whether that commitment translates into deterrence ahead of Monday’s planned shutdown will be closely watched across the continent.
