South Africa: Activists Call Out Hypocrisy of March and March's Protests

What the report says

Activists and critics in South Africa have accused the anti-immigrant vigilante group March and March of using a campaign against gender-based violence to advance xenophobic messaging. The debate came as the group staged protests on Wednesday in several cities, including Durban, Cape Town and Tshwane, according to GroundUp, which was republished by AllAfrica.

In Durban, hundreds of supporters marched through the city centre after advertising the event as part of a national day of action against GBV and femicide. GroundUp reported that some participants carried sticks and other weapons, and tensions rose when a man was assaulted outside his apartment after being mistaken for an immigrant. Reporters also observed threats directed at immigrant-run shops, several of which closed for the day.

Commentators quoted in the report challenged claims that immigrants are disproportionately responsible for GBV, saying there is no evidence for that argument. They said the movement was turning real concern about violence against women into support for an anti-foreign narrative. The article also noted that President Cyril Ramaphosa had promised more resources for GBV-related police units in a televised address the previous night.

Elsewhere, small marches took place in Cape Town, where protesters handed over a memorandum to provincial officials, while a planned Tshwane event was postponed because of rain and low turnout. The coverage suggests the issue is becoming a broader political flashpoint, linking violence against women, migration and public security.