Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma's statement comes after several anti-immigration protests around the country and reports she will be arrested
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma during a protest against illegal immigration in Johannesburg on 29 April 2026. Picture: Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has accused South Africa’s government of having similarities to the apartheid regime.
In a social media post on Friday, Ngobese-Zuma claimed the government is using the legal system against people it considers a threat.
Reports of Ngobese-Zuma’s imminent arrest
It comes after reports that Ngobese-Zuma and her husband face arrest. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and police in KwaZulu-Natal, however, this week said no arrest warrant had been issued for either of them.
She has become a prominent figure in South Africa since her organisation led calls for tighter immigration controls.
Apartheid comparisons
“I was born during apartheid but I did not experience it long enough to fully grasp the cruelty of it, but today, on this 16th day of October 2026, I, Jacinta Zinhle Zuma, understand fully now why apartheid had to be law, it had to be legislated so that anyone who dares fight the state or the system is seen as breaking the law and the very people who are custodians of the law use it against people they deem a threat…” she said.
Ngobese-Zuma referenced unfulfilled promises that were made by the government after apartheid and the way some South Africans are treated when they speak out.
“The government of South Africa is against people raising their dissatisfaction at them bringing in even more people to burden them further in their communities and their country, compromising their safety and making their socio-economic issues even worse… the same people that fought a government under the disguise of ‘freeing’ them is now a replica of the former system…”
She also accused the government of hypocrisy in the way it deals with illegal immigration.
“They claim to not have the means and resources to solve the problem which the people are complaining about, which is illegal immigration and foreigners committing crimes in the country, but when they want to silence the citizens, terrorise them and instil fear in them, stop them from protesting, they will use any means necessary and hide behind ‘law enforcement’,” she said.
Protests after ConCourt ruling
Ngobese-Zuma’s rant comes after tensions were heightened following a Constitutional Court ruling that declared some sections of the Refugees Act of 1998 invalid.
The ConCourt ruled that immigration status should not be a consideration when Home Affairs processes an asylum application.
It led to anti-illegal immigration demonstrations in Durban, Soweto and the Johannesburg CBD. Police arrested several March and March supporters during the protests.
