Politics
March and March slams Ramaphosa’s immigration statement – SABC News
Anti-illegal immigration movements have called on African leaders to address the root causes of mass migration on the African continent.
March and March led a protest in Durban to voice their concerns to the regional leaders’ meeting for the 46th SADC Ordinary Summit of heads of state and government.
It was not the turnout they had expected, organisers had expected about 3 000 people to take to the streets, but only about 200 showed up.
But this did not deter them from marching to voice their concerns over the influx of undocumented migrants in South Africa.
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma calls on SADC leaders to take the migration crisis seriously. She also urged the South African government to curb the influx of undocumented migrants into the country. She led a march to the 46th SADC Summit in Durban. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/tnb6pQTkGm
— Zanele Buthelezi🇿🇦 (@Zanele_Shenge) August 17, 2026
While regional leaders met in the ICC, outside the marchers called for the issue of migration to be prioritised and for African leaders to improve conditions in their countries to curb the exodus of their citizens seeking better economic opportunities.
March and March leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa over the statement on the protests targeted at undocumented migrants.
During a public lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, Ramaphosa said he was deeply ashamed of the treatment of fellow Africans.
Ngobese-Zuma says the statement shows that Ramaphosa is not taking the issue seriously.
“You know if the government wants to have a proper discussion, they need to address the issue for what it is without calling it xenophobia because it is not xenophobia. For the president to say I’m ashamed, I’m ashamed, it paints a wrong picture of a president that doesn’t understand why his people are out in the streets today. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. The people that should been ashamed are the ones whose people keep flocking into someone else’s country claiming to be looking for opportunities.”
Ngobese-Zuma adds, “Those presidents need to ask themselves why they are not creating opportunities for their own people to the point that they come here and claim to be looking for opportunities.”
Since the protests intensified in June, Ngobese-Zuma claims about 200 000 undocumented foreign nationals have been deported to their home countries.
But she says this is not enough, vowing to continue with the protests.
WATCH | As regional leaders conclude the 46th Southern African Development Community Summit in Durban, the anti-undocumented migration group March and March has taken its protest to the streets, accusing the government of failing to address concerns over undocumented migration. pic.twitter.com/CqWG7KnkLh
— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 17, 2026
She says they are going to meet with AfriForum on Tuesday as the movement seeks to learn from their strategies.
A week ago, she launched the South Africa First Forum, a vehicle to support people needing legal services.
Ngobese-Zuma says the aim is to bring tangible change for South Africans.
“We are going to take from the things that we can learn from AfriForum. I mean they are out there building universities for themselves, they are able to prosecute, they are able to have cases they solve for themselves. That’s what we want for ourselves, that’s a model that we want for black South Africans and South Africans in general as well.”
Acting Provincial Police Commissioner Phumelele Makhoba and officials from the Premiers Office accepted their memorandum.
Meanwhile, March and March movement has called for the deportation of all undocumented foreign nationals by September 30 as it puts pressure on the government to crack down on illegal migration. – Reporting by Zanele Buthelezi.
