Cape Town: Over 20 immigrant traders sue the City and police after being barred from work since June

More than twenty immigrant traders in Bellville, a suburb of Cape Town, have filed a lawsuit with the Western Cape High Court in South Africa. The application was served during the week of October 21, 2026, according to the South African media outlet GroundUp. The plaintiffs are represented by the Legal Resources Centre and supported by the Somali Association of South Africa.

The lawsuit names the City of Cape Town and its manager, the commander of the Bellville police station, the Minister of Police, the national and provincial commissioners, as well as the leaders of the March and March and Operation Dudula groups, against whom an injunction is being sought.

A self-proclaimed ultimatum

On June 30, 2026, March and March and affiliated groups set an unofficial deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave the country. Since then, according to the court filing, traders who are authorized to work daily from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. have been unable to access the Bellville trading site or the Middestad Mall. On July 6 and 7, the City verified the validity of their permits. The goods of several traders were destroyed or stolen.

Farhiyo Mahamed, a Somali national and permanent resident of South Africa, had been selling hygiene products and snacks in Bellville since January 2026. On August 18, she attempted to resume her business and says she was assaulted by a group who told her she had no right to sell "because we are foreigners."

In its affidavit, the Legal Resources Centre argues that "only foreign nationals" were targeted and that, despite announced daily patrols, the plaintiffs still do not have safe access to their trading spots.

What the traders are demanding

They want the court to recognize that the City must guarantee this access to all authorized traders, declare police inaction unconstitutional, obtain a detailed report on the attacks and investigations, secure a coordinated protection plan within ten days, and obtain an order prohibiting the named individuals from threatening or intimidating them.

The authorities' responses

Wayne Dyason, spokesperson for the City's Law Enforcement services, asserts that the City "does not tolerate" intimidation or any behavior that prevents legal economic activity. Constable Ndakhe Gwala says the police are committed to public safety and mentions additional deployments; two suspects have been arrested for public violence at the Bellville bus station. March and March and Operation Dudula did not respond to GroundUp.

None of the accusations brought against these groups have been decided by the courts. The case will pose a simple question to the High Court: does the South African Constitution also protect Africans who have come from elsewhere on the continent?