‘It’s time to fetch your people’: March and March to protest at SADC summit

The March and March movement plans to stage a protest march and picket at the conclusion of the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban, South Africa. The group, led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, will march with the slogan "It's time to fetch your people." The summit, hosted by South Africa, runs from Sunday to Monday, August 17, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.

This is not the first time the anti-migrant movement has protested at the SADC summit. On June 30, March and March led nationwide demonstrations targeting undocumented foreign nationals, with over 20 civic groups joining the protests across all nine provinces. The movement's leader has vowed to continue protesting every Thursday until the government addresses their demands.

Key issues the movement is demanding include stricter visa controls, a review of asylum policies, punishment of employers who hire undocumented workers, accountability for corrupt police officials, and restrictions on public services for undocumented migrants. The group's spokesperson, Sandile Dube, announced that the march will take place outside the summit, urging international leaders to prepare for a "massive deportation" of illegal foreign nationals by September 30, 2026.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to take the SADC chairmanship for the 2026 and 2027 term. During a lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Ramaphosa condemned the mistreatment of Africans in South Africa, stating that the country should be "deeply ashamed" of discrimination and ill-treatment of foreigners. He emphasized that South Africa cannot promote regional unity while allowing discrimination and violence against people from other countries.