By Masoka Dube at The Citizen
- Ngizwe Mchunu has called for anti-immigration protests to end, arguing that prolonged demonstrations risk damaging South Africa’s economy and international image.
- March and March leaders rejected Mchunu’s stance, saying he is not a leader of the movement and insisting they will continue pushing for stronger action against illegal immigration.
- A reputation expert says Mchunu’s comments could mark a shift from street protests towards policy discussions, law enforcement and institutional solutions to migration challenges.
One of the leaders of South Africa’s anti-immigration protests and former radio personality Ngizwe Mchunu has come under fire after calling on anti-immigration activists to halt demonstrations, saying they were damaging the country’s image and economy.
Mchunu recently announced that he was no longer interested in participating in the protests and urged other leaders, including March and March’s Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, to do the same.
Mchunu urges March and March to stop protesting
He said the demonstrations had continued for too long and risked harming the economy.
In a short video posted on TikTok, commenting on the March and March protests held across the country on 30 June, Mchunu said:
“We are happy about the outcome of the protests. We did not achieve all that we wanted, but it was not meant to destroy the country.
“Much as we did not achieve all we wanted, we will not be marching forever. I speak as a senior who knows what it is like to be imprisoned. My fellow activists, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, don’t know what it is like to be arrested, and they are juniors to me.”
Mchunu, Ngobese-Zuma and Ndabandaba have been among the prominent figures leading anti-immigration protests across the country, calling for the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Several countries repatriate citizens
The protests have prompted several countries, including Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, to repatriate some of their citizens.
Sandile Dube, national spokesperson for the March and March movement, criticised Mchunu’s comments, saying he was neither a founder nor a leader of the movement, but rather a former ally through his organisation, Amabhinca Nation.
“March and March has one founder and leader, Ngobese-Zuma, who is entrusted with the responsibility of leading the movement together with the national executive committee,” said Dube.
“March and March derives its mandate from the people of South Africa through a satisfaction survey informed by inputs from the masses on the ground through its zonal, regional and provincial structures.”
Dube said the movement continued to receive calls from frustrated South Africans demanding the removal of illegal foreigners.
Dube says movement has public backing
He said South Africans wanted intensified law enforcement operations to remove illegal foreigners from all sectors of the job market and replace them with South African citizens.
According to Dube, illegal foreigners were harming the economy because they were not contributing to tax revenue.
“The more we employ South Africans, the better our tax collection revenue will be, as they will be employed formally within the Labour Relations Act.”
The Border Management Authority said it processed the repatriation of 72,906 foreign nationals through its ports of entry between 7 June and 14 July.
Potential shift in South Africa’s migration debate
Global reputation expert Tshepo Matseba said Mchunu’s announcement could signal an important shift in South Africa’s migration debate.
“Regardless of one’s views, his acknowledgement that protests cannot continue indefinitely reflects the reality that sustained demonstrations carry economic, legal and social costs.
“His comments suggest that while concerns around illegal immigration remain, the conversation may be shifting from continuous street mobilisation towards policy engagement, law enforcement and institutional solutions.”
Matseba said South Africa had made important progress in reframing the international conversation, with the debate gradually shifting from perceptions of xenophobia towards broader discussions about illegal immigration, border management, labour exploitation, illegal mining and organised crime.
“This presents an opportunity for South Africa to demonstrate that it can enforce immigration laws fairly while protecting human rights, strengthening social cohesion and addressing the abuse of undocumented migrants through cheap labour.”
He added that South Africa’s reputation would ultimately be shaped less by the protests themselves and more by whether the country delivers lawful, balanced and sustainable solutions.
This article was republished from The Citizen. Read the original here.
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