There is a brewing catastrophe waiting to unfold in KwaZulu-Natal, specifically in Durban. A vigilante movement known as March and March is inciting violence against African foreign nationals in this part of the country.
On Wednesday, the group staged a march in the Durban city centre. Its leader, former radio presenter Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, was joined by ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba — another figure widely accused of Afrophobic rhetoric.
They were accompanied by Ngizwe Mchunu, a former Ukhozi FM personality and one of the prime suspects accused of inciting violence during the July 2021 riots.
The march was presented under the guise of raising legitimate concerns about SA’s porous borders and the need for stricter immigration enforcement. Yet, in reality, it was a calculated move to intimidate African foreigners and incite violence against them. Social media is now littered with disturbing visuals showing protesters harassing and assaulting foreign nationals.
In one widely circulated video, a man with a darker complexion was chased down Dr Pixley KaSeme Street by members of the vigilante group, accused of being an “illegal foreigner”. The irony of such hatred being demonstrated on a street named after a man who championed African unity is striking.
Fortunately, a few police officers were nearby, and the man managed to escape to safety. Another video shows a shopkeeper being harassed by the mob, who demanded to see his documentation.
Although he produced a permit, the crowd questioned its authenticity and ordered him to close his shop. As he attempted to comply, another man whipped him with a sjambok to the cheers of onlookers. He too was lucky to escape with his life.
It remains unclear what Ngobese-Zuma’s strategic end goal is, or who the forces behind her movement may be. What is clear, however, is that she has leveraged her popularity as a radio presenter and her strong social media presence to build a growing vigilante movement that threatens social stability.
By opportunistically exploiting the suffering of citizens and legitimate concerns about immigration, she has mobilised support behind an explicitly anti-African agenda. It is anti-African because there is no evidence suggesting that the group has ever confronted a European about their status in the country.
The danger is that this movement’s grievances resonate with unemployed citizens who have long struggled to participate in the economy. It appeals to those who are victims of crime and who believe foreigners are behind the proliferation of drugs in local communities. It also finds fertile ground among those failed by SA’s education system.
Had the ANC government insisted on teaching the true history of this country — how towns were built by the labour of southern African migrants, and how many South Africans can trace their lineage to neighbouring countries — perhaps we would not see adults marching under the scorching Durban sun, baying for the blood of fellow Africans. Politicians thrive when ignorance is widespread, and Ngobese-Zuma’s movement is exploiting precisely that ignorance.
Earlier this year, her group staged similar protests, demanding that local pupils be prioritised ahead of the children of African nationals at a Durban primary school. Clashes broke out between the vigilantes and foreign parents, and although there was talk of a case of public violence, police never followed up. This lack of accountability emboldens vigilante groups and signals to society that mob justice may be tolerated.
The danger here is not abstract. The March and March movement is igniting flames that will be difficult to extinguish. The image of Mozambican national Ernesto Nhamuave burning to death during the xenophobic violence in Gauteng in 2008 remains etched in our collective memory.
More than 60 people were killed in those barbaric attacks, and SA became the “skunk of Africa” for the brutality unleashed on our brothers and sisters. Ngobese-Zuma, Mashaba, and their cheerleaders must not be allowed to drag us back to that dark chapter.
SA has laws that must be followed when someone is suspected of committing a crime. If immigration laws are not being enforced, there are legal avenues for citizens to lodge complaints. Instilling mob justice on suspected illegal immigrants is unlawful, and those who attack African nationals must be arrested. More importantly, authorities must act decisively against those mobilising citizens to engage in illegal acts. Political parties that align themselves with such vigilantism must also be held accountable.
It is deeply disheartening that our security cluster is in turmoil. This dysfunction is precisely why President Cyril Ramaphosa must act urgently to restore stability.
The police must be empowered to focus on instilling law and order, which includes dealing decisively with vigilante movements sowing seeds of violence. Failure to act threatens to erode SA’s fragile social fabric, leaving us vulnerable to another wave of bloodshed and shame.
