South Africa has formed a special police task force to investigate the March 8 shooting of Andile Mvuyelwa Somgxada. The Gauteng province leader of the anti‑migrant group March and March was shot outside his home east of Johannesburg and subsequently died at hospital a few days later.
The movement has been organising protests demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country, setting an unofficial deadline of 30 June for all such migrants to depart. Leaders of the group, including Somgxada, have received death threats and warnings, prompting spokesperson Sandile Dube to describe the killing as a retaliation and “an orchestrated hitman type of killing.”
Acting police chief Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane announced a multidisciplinary team for the case, stating the service was treating the investigation with “seriousness and commitment to accountability.”
South Africa’s recent “migration management” campaign has seen over 53,000 foreign nationals deported or repatriated since it began. Xenophobic attacks, intimidation, and violence against foreigners have spiked, with incidents such as the impersonation of immigration officers and unlawful demands on migrants noted in Limpopo province.
Police have warned that no individual or group has authority to conduct immigration inspections, verifying legal status, or forcibly remove people from communities. They also highlighted that more than three million documented foreign nationals are in the country, in addition to those in the country illegally.
While the investigation continues, the case underscores the broader debate over foreign nationals, resource allocation, and the rule of law in South Africa’s politics and security landscape.
