Special Police Team Investigates Killing of Anti‑Migrant Leader in South Africa

A special multidisciplinary police team has begun probing the murder of Andile Mvuyelwa Somgxada, the Gauteng province leader of the anti‑migrant group March and March.

Somgxada was shot outside his home east of Johannesburg earlier in July and died a few days later in hospital.

"The law applies equally to everyone. No individual or group has the authority to conduct immigration inspections, verify legal status, or remove people from communities," said Acting Police Commissioner Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane.

A spokesperson for March and March, Sandile Dube, described the killing as a retaliation for the movement’s campaign to get undocumented migrants to leave the country and called it an “orchestrated hit‑man type of killing”.

Police confirmed that other leaders of March and March had recently received warnings or death threats.

Lt Gen Dimpane announced that the investigative team would conduct a thorough inquiry into the circumstances around the murder and ensure accountability. She stated, “We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding this murder.”

The broader context involves widespread xenophobia across South Africa, with public protests accusing undocumented migrants of straining public services and being linked to crime. March and March had set an unofficial deadline of 30 June for all migrants without papers to leave the country, a stance that has spurred weekly marches and confrontations.

Since a “migration management” campaign launched five weeks ago, the South African government has reported that over 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated. The nation’s Voluntary Repatriation scheme has already brought more than 1,200 Nigerians back to Lagos.