South Africa's major supply chains and port operations remained largely unaffected by Tuesday's nationwide March on March anti-migrant protests, despite isolated incidents of looting, business burglaries and violence in parts of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
Law enforcement agencies and private security firms maintained a strong presence across key logistics hubs and urban centres, allowing freight operations to continue with limited disruption.
In Cape Town, Exporters Western Cape chairperson Terry Gale said exporters had experienced no disruption to supply chains.
"We haven't had any supply chain issues at all. The port has been working well," Gale said.
He added that many businesses had opted to work remotely, reducing traffic volumes, while police and the City's safety structures had responded proactively throughout the day.
Cape Town's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, said the city's main protest actions in the CBD and Kraaifontein concluded largely without incident.
Although opportunistic looting was reported in Delft, Wesbank and Hanover Park, police and City law enforcement responded quickly, with 12 suspects arrested on charges including public violence, theft and malicious damage to property.
In Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, security agencies reported isolated criminal incidents, including looting, business burglaries and violence in parts of Soweto, Hillbrow, Ekurhuleni, Hammersdale, Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
KwaZulu-Natal police confirmed several arrests linked to break-ins at tuck shops and attacks on foreign nationals, while private security operators said incidents were contained through coordinated deployments.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said police had made multiple arrests nationwide from the early hours of Tuesday.
"We urge citizens to exercise their constitutional rights responsibly and to ensure that demonstrations remain peaceful and lawful. Those who choose to exploit the marches to commit criminal acts will face the full might of the law," Cachalia said.
By late afternoon, private security firm Excellerate Security said that while a number of opportunistic criminal incidents had been reported, they had been dealt with swiftly and the operational environment remained stable, with most planned marches concluding peacefully.
