Undocumented Foreign Nationals Arrested After Trying To Escape Vereeniging SAPS and Inspectors

VEREENIGING, GAUTENG— Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested several foreign nationals in Vereeniging on 21 May 2026 during an anti-illegal immigration march as they tried to escape from the marchers and the police.

Briefly News witnessed the arrest which took place as marchers, who began in the Vereeniging Central Business District, made their way towards the outskirts of the CBD. A leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party told Briefly News that a group of undocumented foreign nationals allegedly barricaded themselves in one of the shops which were closed. The community, the MK Party and the police waited while the owner of the property opened for them to inspect.

Foreign nationals attempt to flee

While the police were inspecting one side of the building, MK Party members and supporters gathered outside the property’s second entrance. Suddenly, two police officers burst out of the building through the first entrance and ran to the second entrance where a group of foreign nationals attempted to escape through the roof. The suspects were accompanied by the police, who bundled them into the back of a police van. MK Party supporters chanted struggle songs while the van drove away. However, the MK Party leader told Briefly News that there were more foreign nationals hiding in the building and called for the police to probe the building.

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Foreign nationals sleep outside police station

Similarly, Briefly News reported that foreign nationals in Durban, fearful for their safety, fled the comfort of their homes and sought refuge at the Durban Police Station. Some of them closed their businesses as anti-illegal immigration sentiment sweeps across the country.

Source: Briefly News