South Africa anti-migrant demos draw thousands, plus huge police presence

Thousands of people joined anti-migrant protests in South Africa on Tuesday, watched over by a massive Police contingent that was deployed to prevent violence and intimidation.The demonstrations in Johannesburg, Pretoria, the port cities of Durban and Cape Town and other towns were called by an organisation known as March and March to demand that all undocumented foreigners leave the country.The rallies, which marked the culmination of weeks of protests that have displaced thousands of mainly African expatriates, appeared to be largely peaceful.Anti-immigrant protesters march in Durban, South Africa, on Tuesday. Protests have stoked fears of the Xenophobic violence that erupted in 2008, when 62 people were killed. Photo: ReutersSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with three of the anti-migrant movement’s leaders on Monday to urge them to avoid any unrest, according to his spokesman, Vincent Magwenya.