South African police fired rubber bullets and teargas on Wednesday to disperse hundreds of protesters demanding tougher action against foreigners in the coastal city of Durban.
The protesters, including members of political parties and the xenophobic vigilante group Operation Dudula, marched through streets waving placards and chanting against undocumented immigrants.
A member of the March and March group carries a South African flag during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. The group calls for stronger action against illegal immigration and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. The protest takes place amid rising public concern over border control, law enforcement, and the governments national policy. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
Members of Operation Dududla join members of March and March Movement during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
They specifically cited foreigners from Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, and other countries, blaming them for taking jobs and contributing to crime.
Members of Operation Dududla join members of March and March Movement during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. The group calls for stronger action against illegal immigration and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. The protest takes place amid rising public concern over border control, law enforcement, and the governments national policy. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
The leader of the ActionSA party, Herman Mashaba, said at the protest, “People can call us names but we cannot allow a situation where our country is being destroyed before our very own eyes.
“We are seeing our government allowing our country to be flooded by groups from all over the world as far as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mexico, all over the world. So we are saying to our government this is unacceptable.”
Traditional leaders of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) join members of March and March Movement as they chant songs during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
Members of March and March Movement together with members from the Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP), ActionSA and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party sing and chant slogans during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
Some shop owners shut their businesses before the march, fearing looting and violence, while a small group of protesters reportedly harassed bystanders and looted shops, prompting a police response.
Traditional leaders of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) join members of March and March Movement as they chant songs during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. The group calls for stronger action against illegal immigration and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. The protest takes place amid rising public concern over border control, law enforcement, and the governments national policy. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
81‑year‑old Thembi Dlamini from Clermont, west of Durban, speaking at the protest, said, “I have seen my country going down because officials take bribes to give documents illegally, police allow drug trade because they are paid.
“Jobs are being taken away by our brothers from other parts of Africa who are here illegally. Where will our children get jobs?”
Members of March and March Movement together with members from the Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP), ActionSA and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party sing and chant slogans during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. The group calls for stronger action against illegal immigration and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. The protest takes place amid rising public concern over border control, law enforcement, and the governments national policy. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
Members of March and March Movement together with members from the Inkhata Freedom Party ( IFP) sing and chant slogans during a national campaign protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. The group calls for stronger action against illegal immigration and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. The protest takes place amid rising public concern over border control, law enforcement, and the governments national policy. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
The protest reflects rising tensions in South Africa over unemployment and competition for jobs, with nearly 32 per cent of the population currently unemployed.
According to the statistics agency, around three million foreigners, about 5.1 per cent of the population, live in the country.
A member of March and March wrapped in a South African flag attends a protest in Durban on March 25, 2026. The group calls for stronger action against illegal immigration and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. The protest takes place amid rising public concern over border control, law enforcement, and the governments national policy. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
They are not protesting against chinese,indians,lebanese,europeans,americans in their country but they are busy protesting against their fellow africans,this people are really sick.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed plans to sponsor a bill seeking to introduce a single six-year tenure for presidents and governors after the 2027 general elections.
Bamidele said the proposed legislation would be among the first bills he intends to introduce when the next Senate is inaugurated, arguing that it would enable elected leaders to focus on governance rather than re-election campaigns.
Speaking during an interview with reporters in his office on Tuesday, the lawmaker said the current two-term arrangement often compels officeholders to devote a significant portion of their first term to political calculations and preparations for re-election.
“One of the first set of bills that I look forward to moving, by God’s grace, when we come back for the 11th Senate, God willing, is for a bill that will only make it possible for anyone who wants to be president of this country, or governor in any part of this country, to spend only one term of six years,” he said.
According to him, a single tenure would eliminate distractions associated with seeking a second term.
“So that you don’t even have to worry about wasting almost one and a half years of your first term thinking and struggling and looking forward to how you’ll be re-elected,” Bamidele said.
“If you know you are there for six years, only one tenure, you put in your best from day one. You know this is the only chance that you have.”
The Senate Leader acknowledged that the proposal may not enjoy universal support but maintained that lawmakers have a responsibility to initiate reforms they believe would strengthen governance.
“That’s my opinion. It doesn’t mean everybody will agree with me. But it also does not mean that I am prevented from doing that because that has not been the law,” he said.
Bamidele stressed that laws are meant to evolve in response to changing realities and public needs.
“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow,” he added.
The proposal, if formally introduced and passed by the National Assembly, would require constitutional amendments before it can take effect.
Popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi Ahmad, has broken his silence on his visitation to Ibadan late last year, amidst outrage that he was trying to Islamise Oyo State with some Northern ideologies and tenets.
Gumi stressed that nobody can stop him from visiting anywhere in the country, while maintaining that he was not invited by any Muslim group or individual in the South-West.
In a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday, he said he was in Ibadan as a representative of northern Islamic scholars.
He made this known barely a day after one of the victims of the abduction in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State dismissed claims that their abductors demanded the implementation of Sharia law in the state as part of the conditions for releasing the victims.
PUNCH Online reports that the principal of Community High School, Esiele, Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, while speaking from captivity in a now-viral video, said the gunmen said they never demanded the introduction of Sharia law or a N1 billion ransom as reported in some quarters, but rather for the release of their associates currently in the custody of Nigerian authorities.
Also, the Muslim Rights Concern rejected the alleged demand for Sharia in a statement issued on Monday, describing the report as “a lie from the pit of Jahannam (hell)”.
MURIC argued that the so-called demand was inserted by enemies of Islam in the negotiation team to tarnish the image of Islam.
However, aligning with the Islamic group’s position, Gumi wrote, “I quite understand now how Islamophobia is shaping politics in SW (South-West) and why I was unnecessarily dragged into their dirty local politics.
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have rescued six kidnap victims following a confrontation with terrorists along the Delwa–Komala road in Borno State.
The incident occurred at about 17:58 hours on June 6, 2026 when troops at Forward Operating Base Molai received intelligence that armed terrorists had intercepted and abducted civilians travelling along the route.
Troops were immediately mobilised on a fighting patrol to the location and reportedly made contact with the terrorists upon arrival in the general area.
According to the sources, the armed group abandoned the victims and fled into nearby bushes following the troops’ approach.
The victims were successfully rescued unharmed and comprised four adult males, one adult female and one minor.
They were said to have been secured and moved to a safer location for further assessment and necessary documentation.
The military noted that the general security situation in the theatre remains calm but unpredictable, adding that troops continue to maintain aggressive patrols and clearance operations across vulnerable areas.
It further stated that troops’ morale and operational effectiveness remain satisfactory as operations continue to deny terrorists freedom of action within the North-East theatre.
Kemi
March 26, 2026 at 7:53 am
They are not protesting against chinese,indians,lebanese,europeans,americans in their country but they are busy protesting against their fellow africans,this people are really sick.