Pretoria – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on those planning to participate in Tuesday’s nationwide protests against undocumented immigration to act peacefully and within the bounds of the law, warning that criminal conduct will not be tolerated regardless of the grievance behind it.
In a letter addressed to South Africans on Monday, June 29, Ramaphosa acknowledged the deep concerns many citizens have raised about illegal immigration, border management, pressure on public services, criminal syndicates exploiting the immigration system and the broader impact on communities. “These concerns are real and they deserve to be heard,” he wrote.
The protests are scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, and have been organised by several groupings opposed to undocumented immigration in the country. 
Ramaphosa was firm that while the right to protest is constitutionally protected, it does not extend to threats, intimidation, vandalism or violence. “The exercise of rights by any citizen in a constitutional democracy cannot be determined by intimidation, threats or ultimatums. It must be determined through democratic institutions, evidence and the rule of law,” he said.
The President said government has accepted that the immigration system requires substantial reform and outlined steps already underway, including strengthening border management, increasing enforcement against undocumented immigration, improving the integrity of the asylum and visa systems, and acting against corruption that has weakened immigration control.
Ramaphosa said his government has in recent weeks consulted traditional monarchs and Khoi-San leaders, trade union and business leaders, religious communities and other formations across society in support of these measures.
He also drew a sharp line against vigilantism, invoking the country’s apartheid past. “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,” he said.
“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.”
Ramaphosa noted that some foreign nationals living in South Africa are there lawfully, working, studying, raising families and contributing to the economy, and said they are equally entitled to the protection of the law and the Constitution.
He welcomed assurances from some protest organisers that they stand against violence, but said they would be held to that undertaking. “No cause, no matter how legitimate, will be an excuse to shift responsibility for violent acts,” he said.
South Africa’s law enforcement authorities have been placed on standby ahead of the demonstrations.
