South Africa: South African gov't dismisses anti-immigration group's shutdown threat.

Shotlist Pretoria, South Africa - Recent 1. Protesters marching 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mmamoloko Kubayi, South African Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development (starting with shot 1/partially overlaid with shot 3): "We looked at the statistics and numbers. In terms of deportation, how many foreign nationals have been deported? What are the highest countries? For example, you'd have Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique being the highest. So we receive feedback from various organizations about the issue that they do feel that government is not doing enough on the ground to deal with the challenges." SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 3. Various of protesters chanting slogan, holding placards SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 4. Protesters gathering, chanting slogans 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Angie Motshekga, South African Minister of Defense (starting with shot 4/partially overlaid with shot 6): "It's not like, because there's a threat of the 30th, that there's really a crisis or something. So whatever happens in between shouldn't be anything that really takes away our responsibilities as South Africans to say, this is our country, with them to build it. And that's the spirit we even explain to them, to say the 30th, yes we note respectfully and we support them." SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 6. Various of protesters chanting slogan, holding placards SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 7. Protesters marching Storyline South African government ministers have called for calm and said there is no need to panic over a planned national shutdown on June 30 threatened by an anti-immigration group, stressing that authorities are already addressing the issue of undocumented foreigners. Following talks between the government and the group March and March, which demands the immediate removal of undocumented foreign nationals and stricter border controls, the ministers reiterated that the country is actively deporting illegal immigrants. "We looked at the statistics and numbers. In terms of deportation, how many foreign nationals have been deported? What are the highest countries? For example, you'd have Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique being the highest. So we receive feedback from various organizations about the issue that they do feel that government is not doing enough on the ground to deal with the challenges," said Mmamoloko Kubayi, South African Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development. The ministers dismissed concerns over the group's self-imposed deadline of June 30, saying the government will not be rushed into a crisis. "It's not like, because there's a threat of the 30th, that there's really a crisis or something. So whatever happens in between shouldn't be anything that really takes away our responsibilities as South Africans to say, this is our country, with them to build it. And that's the spirit we even explain to them, to say the 30th, yes we note respectfully and we support them," said Angie Motshekga, South African Minister of Defense . The group March and March, which rejects accusations of xenophobia despite complaints from foreign nationals who say the protests make them feel unsafe, has vowed to proceed with the national shutdown if sufficient progress is not made. Over the past few weeks, anti-immigrant protests have intensified across the country. The government ministers said they will continue to monitor the situation closely. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]