June 29 2026,7amNtuli warns political parties against exploiting June 30 march as KZN braces for anti-illegal migrant protests KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli has warned political parties against exploiting Tuesday’s planned march against illegal immigration, saying history would judge leaders who seek to profit from public fears instead of protecting the province from violence.Addressing the media on Sunday, Ntuli said KwaZulu-Natal was fully prepared for June 30, with police, metro police, municipal law enforcement, disaster management teams and the South African National Defence Force deployed to identified hotspots.[ Ntuli warns political parties against exploiting June 30 march as KZN braces for anti-illegal migrant protests Opens in new window ]June 29 2026, 6.30amNtuli says KZN government should not be blamed alone for illegal migrants crisis KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli has defended his administration against criticism over the province’s illegal migration challenges, arguing the provincial government cannot be held solely responsible for a national immigration problem.Addressing the media on Sunday before the June 30 marches against illegal immigration, Ntuli said the government had been working on the issue long before it became the focus of public protests and social media campaigns.[ Ntuli says KZN government should not be blamed alone for illegal migrants crisis Opens in new window ]June 29 2026, 6.15amLISTEN | Police will protect protests, not stop them, says acting police minister Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia has urged police officers to protect the constitutional right to protest and the rights of all people living in South Africa, warning law enforcement must not be drawn into political disputes ahead of Tuesday’s planned demonstrations against illegal immigration.[ LISTEN | Police will protect protests, not stop them, says acting police minister Opens in new window ] June 29 2026, 6amA camp stripped of dignity: the lived experience of undocumented migrants in eThekwiniThe smell of urine and faeces hangs heavily over the Drive-In immigration camp in Durban. Makeshift bathing stalls offer no privacy. Teenage girls are propositioned by strangers. Thousands sleep shoulder-to-shoulder on the cold ground.For many undocumented migrants waiting to be repatriated before Tuesday’s June 30 deadline, this has become home.Mary Khaluse, a Mozambique-born mother of three, sits on a thin blanket with her two teenage daughters beside her. Around them are an estimated 7,000 undocumented migrants, most of them Malawian, waiting to be processed.[ A camp stripped of dignity: the lived experience of undocumented migrants in EthekwiniOpens in new window ]TimesLIVE