More than 900 people were arrested during law enforcement operations linked to Tuesday’s nationwide anti-illegal immigration demonstrations, with authorities saying the majority were undocumented foreign nationals apprehended during operations conducted alongside the protests.
The arrests were announced on Wednesday by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints), which said South Africa remained “relatively stable” despite isolated incidents of looting, public violence and criminality.
Addressing the media, Deputy National Commissioner for Policing Lieutenant General Tebello Charles Mosikili said the overwhelming majority of South Africans had exercised their constitutional right to protest peacefully and responsibly.
“Yesterday, our country remained relatively stable. South Africans exercised their constitutional rights, and the overwhelming majority did so peacefully, responsibly and within the confines of the law,” Mosikili said.
She thanked protest organisers for working closely with law enforcement and encouraging demonstrators to remain peaceful.
“Your leadership contributed significantly to maintaining public order and ensuring that South Africans were able to exercise their democratic rights safely.”
According to Natjoints, a total of 120 marches were held across the country, with 108 remaining peaceful and only 12 requiring intervention by law enforcement following incidents of unrest.
The breakdown showed:
• Free State: 8 peaceful, 0 unrest
• Eastern Cape: 28 peaceful, 2 unrest
• Gauteng: 12 peaceful, 1 unrest
• KwaZulu-Natal: 21 peaceful, 2 unrest
• Limpopo: 12 peaceful, 0 unrest
• Mpumalanga: 9 peaceful, 1 unrest
• Northern Cape: 4 peaceful, 2 unrest
• North West: 8 peaceful, 0 unrest
• Western Cape: 6 peaceful, 4 unrest“That is a clear demonstration that the overwhelming majority of South Africans chose peace over disorder,” Mosikili said.
While praising the largely peaceful demonstrations, Natjoints said opportunistic criminal elements attempted to exploit the protests through looting, robberies and public violence but were swiftly dealt with by police.
Overnight, additional law enforcement resources were deployed to Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Western Cape following isolated incidents of looting and criminality.
“The situation remains under control, and the areas remain under constant monitoring,” Mosikili said.
More than 900 suspects were arrested during operations conducted alongside the protests.
“The majority of those arrested were illegal foreigners and looting as a result of law enforcement operations conducted alongside the protests. Some were arrested for public violence, some for harbouring illegal immigrants, business robbery at spaza shops and other offences,” she said.
The Western Cape recorded the highest number of arrests, with 215 suspects apprehended for offences including public violence and contraventions of the Immigration Act.
The Eastern Cape followed with 208 arrests for offences including public violence, incitement to commit violence, looting and immigration-related offences.
KwaZulu-Natal recorded 153 arrests, while the Free State registered 132 arrests linked to offences including public violence, looting, business robberies and contraventions of immigration laws.
North West recorded 83 arrests, Gauteng more than 82, the Northern Cape 51, Limpopo 26 and Mpumalanga seven arrests.
“These arrests demonstrate that our law enforcement agencies were not merely present—they were proactive, disciplined and effective,” Mosikili said.
“Those who sought to exploit yesterday’s demonstrations for criminal gain were identified, pursued and brought before the law.”
She said law enforcement operations would continue in the coming days, including intensified operations to verify the documentation of foreign nationals and ensure compliance with South Africa’s immigration laws.
“We remain vigilant, we remain prepared, and we will continue to act decisively against anyone who threatens the safety, security and stability of our country,” she said.
Mosikili also confirmed that the South African National Defence Force had been placed on standby during the demonstrations and was deployed to Hillbrow in Johannesburg to support police operations aimed at maintaining public order.
