South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appealed to citizens planning to join anti-immigration demonstrations scheduled for June 30 to ensure their protests remain peaceful and lawful, stressing that intimidation, violence and vigilantism are incompatible with the country’s constitutional democracy.
In a national message issued on Monday under the theme, “Protest is both a right and a responsibility,” Ramaphosa acknowledged widespread public anxiety over undocumented migration and the pressure it places on communities across the country.
He said, “Tomorrow, 30 June, marks the date that several groupings have identified for protests against undocumented immigration in South Africa.
“South Africans have raised deep concerns about illegal immigration, border management, pressure on public services, criminal syndicates that exploit our immigration system and the impact these challenges have on communities.
These concerns are real and they deserve to be heard.”
While reaffirming that the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to protest, the president warned that exercising that right does not justify unlawful behaviour.
“The right to protest is enshrined in our Constitution. It is a credit to our robust democratic order that people are able to express their grievances openly.
But the right to protest and freedom of expression does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence,” he stated.
Ramaphosa said the government has acknowledged shortcomings in the country’s immigration framework and is implementing reforms aimed at tightening border security, improving asylum and visa administration, strengthening enforcement against undocumented migration and addressing corruption that has undermined immigration control.
“Government has accepted that our immigration system requires substantial reform.
“We are strengthening border management, increasing enforcement against undocumented immigration, improving the integrity of the asylum and visa systems, and taking action against corruption that has weakened immigration control,” he declared.
He added: “We also recognise that where our systems have failed, they must be corrected. Where corruption has enabled illegal immigration, those responsible must be held accountable. Where enforcement has been inadequate, it must improve.”
The president also disclosed that the government has engaged traditional leaders, labour unions, business organisations, faith groups and other stakeholders, noting that many have expressed support for ongoing reforms while calling for tolerance and respect for the rule of law.
Although he reiterated that citizens are entitled to protest, Ramaphosa cautioned that anyone who commits criminal acts during the demonstrations would face legal consequences.
Ramaphosa said, “Freedom comes with responsibility. The right to protest is one of the defining freedoms of our democracy, but every right carries corresponding responsibilities.
Those who intend to protest should do so peacefully, lawfully and with respect for the rights, dignity and safety of others.”
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“Where there is criminal conduct, those responsible will be held accountable and the law will take its course.”
He further emphasised that many foreign nationals living in South Africa are legally resident and continue to make meaningful contributions to the country’s economy and society.
“Some foreign nationals who live in South Africa are here lawfully.
“They work, study, raise families, invest in our economy and contribute positively to our society. They too are entitled to the protection of our laws and our Constitution,” he asserted.
Ramaphosa strongly criticised attempts by private individuals to enforce immigration laws, describing such actions as vigilantism and warning against a return to practices associated with the country’s apartheid-era pass laws.
He stated, “The painful history of the pass laws reminds us why the authority to demand identification and enforce immigration laws belongs to government law-enforcement officers acting within the Constitution—not to private individuals.
“Whatever the motivation, taking the law into one’s own hands is vigilantism and has no place in our constitutional democracy.”
“This is a betrayal of the very constitutional order those who commit such acts claim to be defending. It is vigilantism thinly disguised in the language of patriotism.”
He urged South Africans to avoid repeating painful chapters from the nation’s past.
The president further noted, “We must never allow ourselves to return to that painful chapter of our history where people were stopped on the street, had their physical identities scrutinised, and their right to move freely in the country hindered by suspicion and humiliation.”
Ramaphosa said security agencies are prepared to maintain public order while safeguarding both the right to peaceful protest and public safety.
“Throughout our history we have overcome difficult moments not through fear or division, but by choosing law over lawlessness, dialogue over confrontation and justice over vengeance.
Let us once again choose that path. Let us protect both our borders and our Constitution, both our security and our humanity.
“We are capable of doing both, and we must,” he concluded.