Staff Reporter
KwaZulu-Natal police said late on Thursday that meetings with some of the organisers of the June 30 anti-illegal immigration marches in the province had led to an “understanding” that there will be no violence, criminality or looting in KZN on the day and after, as government scrambles to avoid a repeat of the July 2021 unrest.
The talks followed an earlier dispute between March and March and eThekwini Municipality over proposed protest routes for the day.
March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma accused the municipality of attempting to block the organisation’s protest on that day, saying officials had told organisers the march posed a “national security threat”.
March and March said it had complied with the Regulation of Gatherings Act, accepted route changes proposed during consultations with law enforcement, and asked the city for written reasons and any security assessment relied on to stop the march.
Metro Police head Boysie Zungu told TimesLIVE that the city was not banning the organisation’s application to march, but objected to it taking place on 30 June.
At their meeting with March and March earlier on Thursday, KZN police said they would “engage” with Metro Police “to ensure an agreement is reached, and have assured organisers that safety and security will be maintained”.
By late Thursday, no agreement had yet been reached on the protest route.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said on Friday that the second meeting late on Thursday night was part of “intensified efforts to ensure that the province of KwaZulu-Natal and the entire country is safe [in the days leading up to] 30 June 2026, on the day itself and beyond”.
He said police top brass met with Nkosikhona “Phakhel’umthakathi” Ndabandaba, the leader of Insizwa Nobunsizwa; Zulu nation Economic and Cultural Envoy Inkosi Malusi Zondi, and Black Business Federation (BBF) secretary-general Wonder Jaca at SAPS provincial headquarters in Durban.
The top brass at the meeting were Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Phumelele Makoba, and Acting Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Policing Major General Vukani Mgobhozi.
The 30 June “deadline” has been set by anti-illegal immigration groups for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa. Marches have been taking place over the past few months across South Africa to this effect, and are set to ramp up from Friday as Tuesday draws near.
“During the meeting, the parties discussed the purpose of marches led by Phakhel’umthakhathi, cooperation with law enforcement, the responsibility to respect people’s rights to march, stability and safety matters, and the need to guard against breaking the law whilst marching,” Netshiunda said.
“The deliberations led to an understanding that the province will see no violence, no criminality and no looting of shops on 30 June 2026 and beyond,” he said.
Ndabandaba is one of the public faces of the 30 June mobilisation.
Netshiunda said Ndabandaba reassured the police leadership that he led “disciplined” men who listened to the commands of their leaders.
Netshiunda quoted Phakhel’umthakathi as saying: “The country is ours and we shall fight for its wellbeing. Our people must come first, however we understand that violence will not solve our problems.
“Ours is to hold government accountable in ensuring that whoever lives within the borders of South Africa, and in our communities, is in the country legally and respects the rule of law.
“We do not advocate for any violence against our brothers and sisters from other countries; all we want is for them to come into our country legally, and that they must not feed our children drugs and commit all sorts of crimes.”
Netshiunda quoted Mkhwanazi as saying: “We all want illegal foreign nationals to leave because being in the country illegally is a crime. It is for that reason that we arrest scores of undocumented foreign nationals daily.
“However, no amount of crime calls for any person to be attacked or killed. Patriotism must propel the community to hold us as government accountable, not to destroy property, which makes our country stand out among most countries.
“Police will not stop any marches, and we shall ensure that those who want to march do so without fear of police. Those who are not committing any crime must be happy to see the presence of police during their marches.
“We have the responsibility to maintain public order. Our appeal to organisers of the marches is that they must preach the message of responsible citizenship and discipline during marches.
“Crime will be dealt with as a crime and the law will take its course. We are here to protect and serve as the SAPS, so the community must feel free to engage us and deliberate on issues for the betterment of our province and country at large.”
