Protesters affiliated to the March and March anti‑immigration campaign forced several shops they identified as foreign‑owned to close in Qonce on Thursday, as police maintained a presence to monitor the demonstration.
Shops shut, calls for undocumented nationals to leave
Marchers, who said they were acting to press demands on migration issues, compelled a number of small traders to stop trading for the duration of the protest. Demonstrators called for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country, according to reporting on the event.
Police were deployed to the protest to oversee public order. The demonstration forms part of a series of March and March activities across the Buffalo City metro that began with coordinated actions on 30 June.
“We are going to continue and we will not stop. We will be here until 5pm until our demands are met,”
said Siseko Xatula, a March and March organiser in Qonce.
Funding shortfall restricts operations
Organisers told reporters they are struggling to fund their campaign in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCM). The group has launched a BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign seeking R60,000 to support various aspects of its operations, but after 21 days the initiative had raised only R1,680.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fundraising target | R60,000 |
| Amount raised (21 days) | R1,680 |
The campaign said the funds would be used to cover legal costs for members facing arrest or legal action, travel expenses for campaign activities, administrative and communication costs, community information programmes on municipal bylaws and immigration legislation, and to supply stock to local entrepreneurs seeking to establish compliant spaza shops.
“We cannot operate with such a low budget. We have to make sure that people are properly secured and we also have to prepare meals for underprivileged people,”
said Azola Mrano, March and March organiser in BCM, explaining why transport and food provision are central to mobilising supporters. She added that high unemployment meant many supporters could not afford to travel to campaign events and that organisers were expected to provide both transport and food.
Local consequences and context
The demonstration raises immediate concerns for traders and residents in Qonce. Forced closures, even if temporary, hit small businesses that often operate on thin margins. The stated objective of directing undocumented migrants to leave the country also has broader implications for social cohesion and municipal service delivery, given the sensitive nature of migration issues in the city and the metro.
- Economic impact: Temporary shop closures reduce daily takings for small traders and can deter shoppers from busy commercial nodes.
- Public order: SAPS presence is necessary to prevent escalation; organisers warned they would remain until their demands are met.
- Funding gap: The campaign’s low crowdfunding returns limit its capacity to provide transport, food and legal support to participants — measures organisers say are needed to sustain attendance.
March and March’s activities in Qonce are part of a wider pattern of demonstrations in the Buffalo City metro. The group’s attempt to fund legal defence, logistics and community outreach through an online campaign has so far fallen far short of its stated target. The shortfall is being cited by organisers as a constraint on their ability to mobilise and to provide support services at events.
For residents and traders, the immediate questions are practical: how often such demonstrations will recur, what protections local authorities will put in place for businesses affected, and how the metro will respond to the campaign’s demands while maintaining public order and the rule of law. Police monitoring at Thursday’s protest indicates authorities were alert to those risks, but organisers’ commitment to continue suggests further actions in Qonce and elsewhere within Buffalo City may follow.
Reporting on this event identified organisers and their statements on fundraising and operational constraints. Details on subsequent actions by local authorities, or a response from Buffalo City Metro, were not available in the source material.
