“Ramaphosa Must Tell His Friends To Go”: March and March Protesters Send Message to the President

• A group known as the March of March staged a protest in Pinetown, voicing strong views on foreign nationals following recent demonstrations in Durban
• During the march, one protester said President Cyril Ramaphosa should “tell his friends to go,” while raising concerns about foreign nationals in the country
• The demonstration comes as foreign nationals continue to occupy a centre in the Durban CBD amid ongoing tensions linked to anti-illegal immigration protests

PINETOWN - A protest organised by a group identifying as the “March of March” took place in Pinetown on Wednesday,20 May 2026, as tensions linked to ongoing demonstrations involving foreign nationals in Durban continue to escalate.

The protest comes in the wake of a separate group of foreign nationals who recently staged a demonstration outside Durban Central Police Station on Tuesday, before spending the night at a Durban CBD centre after refusing to disperse.

Protester tells Ramaphosa to 'tell his friends to go'

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During the Pinetown march, protesters voiced frustration over crime, housing and immigration-related concerns, with one participant speaking to SABC News making a direct appeal to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Answering about why they were protesting, the man said,

"Ramaphosa must tell his friends to go.”

This was allegedly said in reference to foreign nationals. He further claimed that issues such as drug-related crime in Durban, including the widely referenced “whoonga” problem, were linked to undocumented foreign nationals, allegations that have not been independently verified by authorities.

The protester also alleged that hijacked buildings in parts of the city were occupied by foreign nationals, adding that authorities should take action to address the situation.

He further added that no foreign national is exempt, stating,

“We don’t want even pastors who are not South African to come and preach in their own land, and we will preach in our land.”

See the interview here:

Social media weighed in on the latest round of protests

@Vumani__Mbatha said:

"This thing is a ticking time bomb, yet the government is trying to bluetick them."

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@TSoulSA_ said:

"Our country is in distress like this because of our corrupt political leaders."

@Phiri13Williams asked:

"So the Pinetown residents leave foreign nationals in their yards, obviously they live there, and go toy toy against their presence in the streets?"

@krustiankuria wrote:

"Take them to the president's residency, we're tired."

@n_leenda pleaded:

"Can our government stop ignoring this? Can they do their jobs?"

Foreign nationals protesting refuse to leave centre

In related news, a group of foreign nationals who were moved from the Durban Central Police Station on 19 May 2026 have refused to leave the Diakonia Centre in the Durban CBD, KwaZulu-Natal. They say they will remain there until their safety is guaranteed. The group has also said the conditions in the centre were dire and that they have reached out to various stakeholders for blankets, food and ablution facilities.

Durban police speak out on the protest

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Briefly News also reported that KwaZulu-Natal SAPS explained why officers removed a large group of foreign nationals who had been gathered outside the Durban Central Police Station for two days on 19 May 2026. The police said the situation escalated after continuous attempts to engage with the group’s leaders failed to yield cooperation, leaving police with no choice but to act in order to restore public order.

Source: Briefly News