An urgent closed-door meeting convened by the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) ministers is under way at the Union Buildings in Pretoria to address rising protests over illegal immigration.
The meeting is focused on the growing demonstrations against immigration and undocumented foreign nationals in the country.
All security cluster ministers and senior officials responsible for national security are attending the meeting in Tshwane.
“In response to the broader challenge of illegal immigration and general social cohesion issues, the ministers will meet to finalise a framework for the national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” government spokesperson William Baloyi said.
He said later in the day, the ministers are expected to meet political parties, groups and associations involved in mass protests and community marches against undocumented foreign nationals across the country.
“The aim of these engagements will be to establish rules of engagement for protests, while also discussing government initiatives and approaches to dealing with the serious problem of illegal immigration,” he said.
The meeting comes amid recent protests in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal targeting undocumented immigrants.
Anti-migrant sentiment has gained political traction in recent years, with some groups claiming foreign nationals are taking jobs and unfairly benefiting from public services.
Previous protests linked to immigration have at times escalated into violence.
Anti-migrant movements such as March and March have protested over alleged crimes involving undocumented foreign nationals and unauthorised religious leaders.
Operation Dudula, ActionSA, Patriotic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party and the MK Party are among the groups and parties supporting the protests.
The groups accuse the government of failing to act decisively against undocumented migration and have called for tighter immigration controls, stricter visa regulations, a review of asylum policies, action against businesses employing undocumented migrants, accountability for corrupt police officers, and restrictions on public services for undocumented migrants.
IOL News previously reported that political analysts and immigration experts believe immigration has become a politically sensitive issue ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Immigration expert Loren Landau, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, said anti-outsider rhetoric had become a central feature of South African politics.
“Once at the fringe of the mainstream, it has now become a central – if not the central – tenet of contemporary politics,” Landau said.
“It reflects the ideological bankruptcy of national politics, which has left many people without prospects of a better life.”
He said politicians were increasingly relying on scapegoating foreign nationals rather than presenting concrete policy solutions.
“For local leaders – the only people directly elected in the country – they are under immense pressure to take action of some kind. Anti-immigrant threats are popular and, with the local government elections just months away, can help enlist support that might otherwise be absent.”
Landau said anti-outsider rhetoric tends to intensify during local political contests.
“With these likely to be the most open local government elections in the country’s history, people are fighting hard for office,” he previously said.
“With few other tools at their disposal, promises to rid the country of foreign ‘demons’ are only likely to intensify.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously rejected claims by some African countries that South Africa is xenophobic, calling such characterisations “lazy”.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa acknowledged legitimate community concerns about crime.
“In fact, any characterisation of this protest that seeks to portray South Africans as xenophobic is actually a lazy sort of analysis of the real issues that are at play here.
“There are genuine concerns that communities have with respect to crime.”
He said crimes committed by foreign nationals should be addressed by law enforcement “without any fear or favour”.
“Crimes that are committed by foreign nationals, where the President expects law enforcement, again, to act without any fear or favour, and also to say to those who are visitors in our country, they must respect and conform with our laws. If they break the law, they will face the full might of the law, like all of us are expected to respect the law.”
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