The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has denied rumours of military deployments for the expected June 30 marches, urging the public to disregard unverified social media claims.

The upcoming protests are primarily being organised by groups demanding the repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals.

Concurrently, the government of Ghana has evacuated its first wave of citizens from South Africa amid rising safety concerns.

The SANDF has dismissed claims of their mobilisation as false and deliberately misleading, saying the military has not issued any instructions or made active preparations to deploy troops for these specific demonstrations.

The SANDF emphasises that it operates within constitutional parameters, and it formally acknowledges that the South African Constitution protects the right of citizens to hold peaceful protest marches.

The SANDF has strongly cautioned against the spread of unverified information, stating that such rumours undermine public trust and generate “unnecessary panic”.

Anti-immigrant protests and increasing concerns over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa prompted the Ghanaian government to evacuate its citizens.

The first chartered flight carrying 300 Ghanaian citizens successfully departed from OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday.

The Ghana High Commission in Pretoria processed over 800 citizens who registered to return home owing to safety concerns and standstill economic conditions.