March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has strongly defended her movement’s campaign against illegal migration, stating that foreign nationals are positioning themselves as victims of problems they themselves create. Her comments follow an incident in which police dispersed a group of foreign nationals who had sought refuge at Durban Central Police Station, claiming fear of eviction from their homes amid the group’s activities.
In response to allegations made by affected individuals, Ngobese-Zuma said there is no better reply than to point out that everyone, regardless of origin, has a responsibility to use the law properly. “They have an opportunity to go to the police station and open a case against people that they claim are abusing them, but they opted to go to the police station and sleep there,” she stated. She questioned whether police stations should function as hotels and urged those with valid claims to file proper cases rather than seeking sympathy or personal bodyguards from police.
Ngobese-Zuma added that foreign nationals often fail to understand the rule of law due to conditions in their countries of origin and a sense of entitlement. She placed the onus on accusers to prove any wrongdoing by March and March. When asked about possible rogue elements conducting door-to-door checks on foreign nationals in the movement’s name, she said she was unaware of any such elements and expressed surprise at the claims. She reiterated that people who assume the position of victims tend to behave in this manner.
The leader defended the movement’s street marches as the exercise of constitutional rights, rejecting xenophobia labels. “You can’t actually say people are xenophobic because they’re marching in their own country on their own streets exercising their constitutional rights,” Ngobese-Zuma said. She noted that March and March has operated consistently for over a year and challenged claims linking unrelated actions to the group without evidence.
Addressing broader diplomatic concerns, Ngobese-Zuma criticised the South African government’s handling of illegal immigration. She argued that politicians fail to define issues clearly and lack a concrete plan, with the president often abroad securing foreign deals rather than addressing domestic problems. She emphasised that foreign countries have no say in South Africa’s sovereign immigration laws and called for more aggressive enforcement.
“The conversation that our government should actually be having is when are these governments going to take responsibility for their people in our country,” she said. Ngobese-Zuma cited examples such as the Ghanaian government’s response to one of its citizens found in the country illegally, accusing it of portraying the individual as a victim rather than addressing the breach of law.
On tensions with Nigeria, including calls in its parliament to shut down MTN operations in response to the treatment of Nigerian nationals in South Africa, Ngobese-Zuma stated that Nigeria, as a sovereign country, is free to do so if it wishes. However, she urged honesty, pointing to recurring reports of crimes involving Nigerians in South Africa, including drug-related activities, and noting that many Nigerians on Interpol watchlists have been found in the country. She argued South Africa should not bear the burden of such behaviour and questioned why it should be problematic for South Africa to act when other nations have banned Nigerians.
Ngobese-Zuma maintained that the movement is not targeting individuals but demanding proper enforcement of existing immigration laws to address what she described as a crisis.
