Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie and anti-illegal migration movement March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma before the two organisations diverged on the issue of undocumented foreign nationals, with growing differences emerging over how the matter should be addressed.
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Anti-illegal migration movement March and March has strongly criticised Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie after he warned party members against participating in the organisation’s planned June 30 mobilisation and cautioned that any member involved in violence against foreign nationals would be expelled.
McKenzie also said he would not intervene on behalf of party members who are arrested during any protests linked to the campaign calling for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa.
Responding to McKenzie’s remarks, March and March founder and leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma accused him of unfairly portraying the movement as violent and abandoning communities affected by illegal immigration.
Ngobese-Zuma cited the case of Teresa Nortje, a March and March member who is also a leader within the Patriotic Alliance.
“Teresa Nortje was kicked on the streets like a dog by foreign nationals and opened a case that is still pending,” said Ngobese-Zuma.
“You, Gayton, did not say a single thing. You offered her no support, nor did anyone from the PA. Teresa has suffered death threats and even had a gun pulled on her by foreign nationals, yet nobody came to her defence.”
She rejected suggestions that March and March intended to engage in violence during the planned mobilisation.
“Now you are claiming that March and March is planning violence on June 30. When did you ever hear us call for violence? It is government leaders who are fearmongering,” she said.
Ngobese-Zuma said the organisation regularly conducts marches and demonstrations without incidents of violence.
“We understand that you are enjoying being in power, but being in power should not make you deaf to the cries of the very people who put you there,” she said.
“We have enjoyed a good relationship with the Patriotic Alliance until now. Whatever is happening should not distort who we are as March and March or result in us being labelled as something we are not.”
She further questioned why McKenzie no longer spoke out about crimes and social challenges that she believes are linked to illegal immigration.
“If you fear violence so much, why do you no longer speak about the violence South Africans suffer at the hands of foreign nationals? Why are you nowhere to be found when people like Mazwi (Kubheka) need support, when children die from spaza shop poisonings, when communities are plagued by drugs, or when children are trafficked and kidnapped?” she asked.
Ngobese-Zuma maintained that March and March would continue its campaign against illegal immigration, arguing that South Africans were increasingly feeling unsafe due to the presence of undocumented migrants.
The exchange follows comments made by McKenzie during a Facebook Live broadcast on Wednesday evening, where he repeatedly urged Patriotic Alliance members not to participate in the June 30 mobilisation.
“I don’t want to see a PA member at March and March,” McKenzie said.
“I’m not a leader who wants to be fashionable and lead my people to jail. Who is going to bail you out?”
McKenzie warned that party members who assaulted foreign nationals would face disciplinary action.
“If you want to make yourself guilty of assaulting illegal foreigners, we will expel you,” he said.
He also cautioned that any violence resulting in loss of life could lead to murder charges.
“If somebody dies there, you will be charged with murder,” he warned.
McKenzie stressed that government would act decisively against any lawlessness linked to immigration-related protests.
“The state is going to act. I’m part of the state. We will act,” he said.
The PA leader insisted that his opposition was not directed at peaceful protest but at any actions that could lead to violence, disorder or criminal conduct.
He further defended his current approach to illegal immigration, saying that his responsibilities in government require a more measured and structured response.
McKenzie said he had not abandoned his views on illegal immigration but now worked within government processes to address the issue.
He reiterated that the Patriotic Alliance would not allow its members to be associated with violence, anarchy or unlawful conduct and that strict disciplinary measures, including expulsion, would be taken against offenders.
McKenzie made undocumented immigration a central pillar of his election campaign under the slogan "Abahambe" ("Let them go"), positioning himself as a vocal advocate for stricter immigration enforcement. However, critics argue that he softened his stance after being appointed Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity.
Ngobese-Zuma was once an admirer of McKenzie and publicly supported his outspoken position on illegal immigration. However, she has since expressed disappointment, saying she feels misled by his apparent change in approach and regrets having held him in such high regard as a political leader.
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