South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community summit in Durban on Monday.

The group marched through central Durban under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people”, calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.

March and March had previously led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher action against undocumented foreigners and warning that it would continue its campaign until the government addressed its immigration demands.

Announcing its latest action, BBC News Pidgin on Monday noted that the group said, “We are announcing the second wave of the 30 June National Day of Action and calling on the heads of state to prepare for the massive deportation of all illegal foreigners from South Africa by 30 September, which will be the mother of all protests.”

The movement also said, “South Africans must follow the law and remain the eyes and ears of the police against any illegal foreigners in the country.”

The 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government is being held in Durban, bringing together leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states.

The protest came amid renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, with President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemning discrimination and violence against people from other African countries.

“We are deeply ashamed that people from other countries have suffered ill-treatment and that others have been forced to leave the country because of threats of violence,” Ramaphosa said.

He added, “We cannot preach integration at a summit like this and practise exclusion on the streets of our countries.”

The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and incidents involving attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.

March and March has continued to press the South African government to take tougher action against undocumented immigration, while several African countries have evacuated citizens amid tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals.

The group’s latest protest puts the immigration dispute directly outside a summit attended by leaders of countries whose citizens are among those affected. (The PUNCH)

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