Soweto residents march to stop landlords renting to undocumented migrants

Residents across Soweto staged coordinated protests calling on landlords to stop renting out properties to undocumented foreign nationals, targeting spaza shops, hair salons and other small businesses they say are run by non-citizens.

Marches spread from Naledi to Zola and Emndeni

Community members in Naledi, Emndeni and Zola led marches that included a procession to the Naledi police station. Protesters closed shops and other businesses they reported to be owned and run by foreign nationals as they moved through neighbourhoods.

Pressure on landlords and targeted businesses

The campaign aimed to persuade property owners not to rent backrooms, garages or spaza shops to undocumented migrants. Protest leader Tshepo Mposula said the campaign team visited landlords to raise the issue and planned to contact others by letter. He said:

“Today, we visited landlords to address the issue of renting to undocumented foreign nationals. Some landlords were unavailable, but we plan to contact them through letters,”

A landlord voices support for the campaign

One Soweto landlord, Mamsie Radebe, who has rented out a garage operating as a spaza shop for over seven years, expressed support for residents’ demands. She described difficulties with her current tenant, identified in the report as Ethiopian, saying:

“I don’t have peace in my own property. Every day I have to deal with people who demand money from me. The people renting from me refuse to pay the agreed R4,000 and instead insist on R2,500. It’s unacceptable,”

Radebe said she feared for her family and threatened to demolish the rental unit if she could not evict the tenants. She said:

“I don’t have the means to operate the store myself, but if my daughter is interested, I would prefer she run it instead of having strangers occupy it. I’d rather it be demolished; it’s dangerous to continue like this,”

according to the report.

Voices from the protest

The demonstrations continue a series of recent actions against illegal immigration held elsewhere last week. Among those who joined the Soweto rallies was 74-year-old Puseletso Mokoena, who linked rising youth unemployment and drug abuse to the immigration situation and said:

“My son, our country is gone. Foreign nationals surround us, and they exert control even over us as tenants. It isn’t that we hate them; we just need them to leave,”

before rejoining the rally with a stick in her hand.

Campaign aims

Organisers framed the action as an effort to reclaim the township spaza shop economy from businesses they believe are operated by undocumented foreign nationals. Protesters moved between neighbourhoods to close shops and salons suspected of employing undocumented migrants and to press landlords on their rental decisions.