March and March movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has rubbished allegations that her movement is funded by Israel, saying the claims were offensive” and unfounded.
Image: Itumeleng English/ ANA Studio
March and March movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has rubbished allegations that her movement is funded by Israel, saying the claims were offensive and unfounded.
She insisted that the movement is neither funded by taxpayers nor foreign donors.
She was addressing the media at a briefing in Midrand on Wednesday ahead of a planned nationwide protest calling for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa by June 30.
Ngobese-Zuma pushed back against growing scrutiny over the movement’s financial backing and reiterated that it is not state funded or supported by large donors.
"We don’t have R6 million, R100 million right here. Maybe give us R600 million, and we’ll show you how to take care of the country," she said.
She denied suggestions that the movement receives funding from Israel, saying she had no connection to the country.
"The only time I ever heard about Israel was in the Bible," she told media personnel.
Ngobese-Zuma criticised what she described as repeated attempts to link the movement to external financiers, saying the allegations were “offensive” and based on stereotypes about black-led initiatives.
"So are you saying black people cannot stand up for anything unless there is money involved? Are we not smart enough?"
She also said it was “disgusting” that media narratives suggested the group lacked legitimacy unless backed by wealthy interests.
Responding to questions about transparency, Ngobese-Zuma said the movement had documentation to support its funding claims.
“We have bank statements where people donate. If you want to see them today, I can give them to you,” she said.
She added that the movement is funded through voluntary contributions and personal resources, not taxpayer money.
“If South Africans are donating to us, why is it a problem?” she said.
Ngobese-Zuma also addressed claims that the movement’s activities were aligned with specific religious or geopolitical conflicts, rejecting any suggestion of religious or racial bias.
She said the planned protest would focus on immigration enforcement and legal compliance rather than identity-based targeting.
“We don’t care if it’s white people, Chinese or anyone else,” she said. “We just want people to be in the country legally.”
She added that the group’s concern was enforcement of immigration laws and border control, which she said were currently inadequate.
“We want people to come into our country and do the right things,” she said. “Not economic migrants.”
On accountability for the planned June 30 protest, Ngobese-Zuma said responsibility for maintaining order rested with the authorities, not organisers.
“If the government is going to be spending R600 million, then they must show they can protect the country,” she said.
Police have warned that no lawlessness will be tolerated during the protest and have urged participants not to take the law into their own hands.
On Monday, acting police minister Professor Firoz Cachalia confirmed that R600 million has been allocated for the police to support security operations linked to the planned demonstration.
Ngobese-Zuma said criticism of the protest had been misdirected.
She argued that the government should be held accountable for border control and immigration enforcement.
“Who takes responsibility for human trafficking and porous borders?” she said.
“Start with those who allowed illegal immigration in the first place.”
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