March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has called on supporters to avoid violence and looting during a planned June 30 shutdown targeting undocumented foreign nationals.
Image: TUMI PAKKIES/Independent Newspapers
Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of March and March, calls for a peaceful protest on June 30 against undocumented foreign nationals, urging supporters to focus on dialogue with the government rather than violence or looting.
Addressing supporters at the MK Party march at Durban City Hall on Wednesday, Ngobese-Zuma issued marching orders ahead of the protest.
“I want you to do only one thing on June 30, or even two: there is no one I am asking to loot. There is no one who will come and you have to beat him or her,” she said.
She warned against violence and theft, saying such behaviour would undermine the movement’s message.
“The minute you beat them, they will look at us and say, ‘Oh my God, your children were beaten,’ and shame South Africans are vigilantes. They will say you were hungry and wanted an opportunity to steal,” she said.
“(We are not) doing (this) because we are hungry. We do it because we have children. We meet people that we don’t know; we don’t know if they kill or eat people, and your child will be left with those people while you are gone.”
She added concerns about drugs and safety, urging supporters to focus on protest rather than criminality.
“I am saying to you all that on June 30 we are not stealing and looting. What we are going to do is that we will just talk to the government so that they (illegal foreign nationals)must leave.”
The march formed part of broader demonstrations by the MK Party raising community grievances in the eThekwini metro, including service delivery concerns and immigration policy.
Tensions over immigration have escalated in parts of the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, with protests targeting undocumented migrants.
Some foreign nationals have reportedly begun leaving South Africa amid the unrest.
The anti-immigrant group March and March has called for undocumented migrants to leave the country by June 30, IOL reported.
It is also demanding stricter visa controls, a review of asylum policies, action against employers of undocumented workers, accountability for corrupt police officials, and restrictions on access to public services for undocumented migrants.
MK Party secretary-general Sbonelo Nomvalo said the party supports some of the concerns raised by March and March, particularly around undocumented immigration.
“We sympathise with the objectives of March and March. We agree with them. We do not like how the government chooses to engage them and how it labels them, because the issues they are raising are genuine,” he said.
“They are fighting against things that affect our people every day on the ground. The issue of illegal immigration affects all of us, because if you are an illegal immigrant you have broken the law. It means you are here unlawfully.”
Nomvalo said the party would make an official announcement on its position regarding the June 30 shutdown.
The MK Party said it has not formally endorsed March and March but supports the right of such movements to exist.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged growing public concern about illegal immigration, while stressing that the majority of foreign nationals in South Africa are not involved in criminal activity.
In his weekly newsletter following a national address on Sunday outlining government plans on migration, Ramaphosa said concerns over border security and enforcement had increased in recent months.
He said the government was responding with a “comprehensive approach to migration management” adopted by Cabinet, including tighter enforcement and legal reforms.
Ramaphosa said organised criminal syndicates were exploiting weaknesses in the immigration system to commit offences such as drug trafficking, illegal mining and extortion. However, he stressed that most foreign nationals were not involved in crime.
He also acknowledged public concerns about the impact of illegal immigration on jobs, small businesses and public services, including health and education facilities, but said official statistics show foreign nationals account for a small proportion of public service users.
Ramaphosa said the government would intensify enforcement, deploy additional resources and technology at borders, and improve the efficiency of the immigration system. He also said corruption within the system would be tackled.
“We are cracking down on violations of our immigration, labour and other laws. We are deploying more resources and technology to secure our borders,” he said.
The government also plans to introduce legislation to regulate foreign worker quotas in different sectors and ensure informal businesses are properly registered.
Ramaphosa urged calm amid rising tensions, warning against violence, misinformation and xenophobia.
Hesaid the task of managing migration “belongs to all of us” but stressed that only authorised state officials may enforce immigration laws.
“We must actively work against efforts to divide us. We must confront racism, sexism, xenophobia and Afrophobia. Our goal must be to build united and cohesive communities where all laws are respected and upheld,” he said.