Gauteng Premier Discusses Illegal Immigration After Johannesburg March

GAUTENG— Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi weighed in on illegal immigration after two anti-illegal immigration protests rocked the Gauteng province during the final week of April 2026. He promised that action would be taken.

Marchers from ActionSA, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, March and March and members of the public marched to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on 29 April 2026 to hand over a memorandum to Lesufi about the challenges of illegal immigration in the province. However, it was not easy for Lesufi to address the protesters.

Panyaza Lesufi addresses marchers

Marchers, which included Operation Dudula members, heckled and booed Lesufi as he attempted to address them and receive the memorandum. However, Musician Ngizwe Mchunu, who recently posed with members of the South African Police Service at a similar march, called for calm. Some in the crowd shouted that they did not want thieves and sellouts to address them. Eventually, he addressed them snd said that he would respond within the seven-day timeframe.

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Speaking at the event, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said that foreigners have shown total disrespect for South African laws. He added that mass action is one of the only ways the country can be saved. More than 500 people joined the march, some from different parts of the country.

The groups marched under the “Abahambe” banner and called on the government to urgently intervene in escalating issues. One woman accused foreign nationals of assaulting her when she was cleaning outside her home in KwaZulu-Natal. The memorandum demanded a government that is committed to prioritising South Africans.

Source: Briefly News