Hundreds of residents from Benoni and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng marched through Daveyton on 6 June 2026 under the banner ‘Mabahambe’ (‘they must go’), calling for the removal of undocumented immigrants from South Africa. Demonstrators blamed undocumented foreign nationals for high crime rates, unemployment, and failures in service delivery, threatening a nationwide shutdown if their demands are not met by a self-declared deadline of 30 June.
The marchers gathered at Sinaba Stadium before proceeding through Daveyton’s streets. Organisers indicated their intention to submit a memorandum to the City of Ekurhuleni, outlining demands including stronger action on undocumented immigration, job creation, and urgent attention to crime and basic service delivery. Speaking during the protest, one organiser stated, “Today we are gathered here in Sinaba Stadium, here in Daveyton. It’s regarding the same issue that we have, we want all undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa because we want to fix our country.”
The protest comes amid rising frustration in several Gauteng communities, with participants linking a perceived increase in crimes such as hijackings to the presence of undocumented foreigners. Ntsizwa, a Daveyton resident marching in the protest, said, “We want to fix our country in a proper way. Now we can’t even move now, you understand the way that there are many of these people. I mean, there’s so many crimes that is happening in our country.”
Demonstrators issued a warning that if their call is not heeded and undocumented foreign nationals have not left the country by 30 June, they will mobilise for a larger shutdown across South Africa.
Amid the protest, many immigrant-owned spaza shops in Actonville, Wattville, and Etwatwa closed preemptively due to fears of looting or xenophobic violence. This reflects wider anxieties among foreign business owners during periods of public unrest over immigration issues, as similar incidents in the past have led to property damage and violence.
The South African government, responding to rising tensions, said there would be no ‘shutdown’ and called for calm. Senior officials have previously emphasised the need to address crime and service delivery failures without targeting migrant communities indiscriminately. Anti-immigrant sentiment and sporadic outbreaks of xenophobic violence have a lengthy history in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, but the scale of the ‘Mabahambe’ march underscores persistent frustrations over policing, jobs, and urban management.
With the 30 June deadline set by organisers looming, government and civil society actors face mounting pressure to manage community grievances and protect the rights and safety of all residents. Further demonstrations or official responses are expected in the coming weeks.