What Every Migrant in South Africa Needs to Know Right Now

South Africa is in the middle of one of the most serious waves of anti-migrant hostility it has seen since 2015. If you are a foreign national living in Gauteng or anywhere in South Africa right now, you need to know what is happening, what your rights are, and how to stay safe.

GDSA is here. We have not stopped working. This post tells you everything you need to know.

What is happening

Since April 2026, two anti-immigration movements, March and March and Operation Dudula, have organised large demonstrations in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, and other cities. Some of these protests have turned violent. Human Rights Watch documented attacks on foreign-owned shops, physical assaults on migrants, and intimidation of people based solely on their appearance or nationality.

In April and May 2026, vigilante groups carried out violent attacks on African and Asian foreign nationals, with little or insufficient response from police and authorities. In one documented incident in Johannesburg on 29 April, marchers threw rocks at people accused of being migrants, surrounded a police van, and witnesses saw firearms being carried. Despite this, police initially described the gatherings as peaceful and reported no incidents.

The situation has drawn international attention. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the attacks "profoundly heartbreaking" and described them as a "tragic betrayal" of the African nations that stood with South Africa during its struggle against apartheid. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights also issued a formal statement condemning the attacks and calling on the South African government to investigate violence against foreign nationals, hold perpetrators accountable, and ensure affected migrants have access to justice and protection.

The "30 June deadline" is not official

You may have seen a poster circulating on social media bearing the South African government coat of arms, claiming that all undocumented migrants must leave South Africa by 30 June 2026. The South African government has publicly dismissed this poster as fake. There is no such government-issued deadline. The poster is fabricated. Do not let it frighten you into making decisions about your safety or documentation based on a document that does not exist.

Anti-immigration groups have adopted this date as their own campaign deadline, but they have no legal authority to enforce it.

Your legal rights in South Africa

South Africa's Constitution protects the rights and dignity of every person within its borders, regardless of nationality or documentation status. These rights are not suspended by any protest movement or deadline.

A High Court ruling confirmed that only an immigration officer or a police officer has the legal power to ask someone to produce their passport or identity documents, and only in a public place. No private individual, and no group like March and March or Operation Dudula, has any legal authority to demand your documents, search your home, your workplace, or your business.

If a private individual demands your documents, you are not legally required to comply. If police demand documents, comply calmly and ask for a receipt. If you are unlawfully detained or your goods are confiscated, contact GDSA immediately.

You have the right to healthcare regardless of your permit status. The South Gauteng High Court ruled in November 2025 that Operation Dudula's activities demanding IDs at hospitals were unlawful, and prohibited members of the group from demanding identification from individuals at hospitals, schools, or businesses.

What to do if you are targeted

Do not engage confrontationally with protest groups. Move away calmly. Close your shop and remove yourself from the situation if a march is passing through your area. Do not rely on police presence to protect you in the immediate moment, but do report every incident.

Document everything you can safely. Photographs, dates, descriptions of what happened and who was involved. This documentation matters for legal action and for GDSA's advocacy work.

Contact GDSA on WhatsApp immediately at +27 11 867 2550. Our team is monitoring the situation closely and can connect you with emergency support, legal referrals, and community protection resources.

If you are in immediate physical danger, call 10111 (SAPS) and 112 (emergency). Also contact Lawyers for Human Rights directly on 011 339 1960.

GDSA's commitment to you

Between 2022 and 2025, Xenowatch recorded 406 verified incidents resulting in 75 deaths. In the first five months of 2026 alone, a further 22 verified incidents were recorded. We are not in a normal moment. But you are not alone in it.

GDSA was built for exactly this kind of moment. We are running our support lines seven days a week. We are coordinating with legal organisations including Lawyers for Human Rights and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA). We are documenting incidents in our community and feeding that documentation to advocacy networks.

If you need support, reach out. If you know someone who needs support, share this post with them.

WhatsApp GDSA: +27 11 867 2550

Email: info@ghanadiasporasa.org

Emergency support is available 24 hours.