Johannesburg On Fire As Massive Protest Erupts Over

The protest began on Johannesburg’s East Rand earlier in the day, with demonstrators calling for the immediate deportation of people they believed were in the country illegally.

While President Cyril Ramaphosa called for calm and warned against lawlessness, the crowd continued to grow as the march made its way through Springs.

In the Springs CBD, there were isolated confrontations between protesters and people they suspected were undocumented foreign nationals.

Private security companies joined police on the ground in an effort to help maintain order and protect businesses.

Many shops and office buildings started closing their doors and locking their gates as a precaution.

March leader Nkosikhona “Phakel’umthakati” Ndabandaba said they had the professional skills within their ranks to secure the country’s borders themselves.  “We have architects here, we have quantity surveyors, we have building inspectors here, we can build that border without any budget from government,” he said.

Despite the rising tensions, the situation remained peaceful, with a heavy security presence continuing to monitor the march.