Ngizwe Mchunu faces backlash after calling halt to protests

Mchunu says demonstrations dent the image and economy, urging Ngobese-Zuma and Ndabandaba to stop marching forever. One of the anti-migration protest leaders and former radio personality Ngizwe Mchunu came under fire for trying to influence anti-immigration activists to stop protesting, as they were denting the image of the country and the economy. Mchunu recently announced he was no longer interested in participating in these kinds of protests and urged other leaders, such as March and March’s Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, to do the same. Mchunu urges March and March to stop marching forever He said the demonstrations have taken a long time and pose a danger of collapsing the economy. In a short video clip posted on TikTok, commenting on the March and March action across the country on 30 June, he 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 this as a senior who knows how to be imprisoned. My fellow activists, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, they don’t know what it is like to be arrested and they are juniors to me.” In May, Mchunu’s house in Durban was torched by people who came for him, but he was not home at the time of the incident. Mchunu, Ngobese-Zuma and Ndabandaba have led the anti-immigration protests across the country, demanding the deportation of illegal immigrants. Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique repatriate citizens amid protests The protests have resulted in several countries, including Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, repatriating their citizens. Sandile Dube, national spokesperson for the March and March movement, lambasted Mchunu over his announcement and said Mchunu was not a founder nor a leader of March and March, but a former ally through his organisation, Amabhinca Nation. “March and March has one founder and leader, Ngobese-Zuma, who is entrusted with the responsibility to lead 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 ground structures, zonal, regional and provincial systems in place.” The movement has been inundated with calls from frustrated South Africans who want illegal foreigners sent packing. Dube says mandate comes from masses on ground Dube said South Africans were calling for intensified law enforcement, agency-led operations, which will ensure all illegal foreigners are removed from all sectors of the job market and replaced by South Africans. He said illegal foreigners were hurting the economy as they were not contributing to tax collection. “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 stated it processed the repatriation of 72 906 foreign nationals at all its ports of entry, from 7 June to 14 July. Global reputation expert Tshepo Matseba said Mchunu’s announcement signals a potentially important shift in South Africa’s migration debate. Potential shift in SA’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 while concerns around illegal immigration remain, the conversation may be moving from continuous street mobilisation towards policy engagement, law enforcement and institutional solutions. Matseba said South Africa has made important progress in reframing the international conversation as the debate has gradually shifted 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 said, ultimately, SA’s reputation will be shaped less by the protests themselves and more by whether it delivers lawful, balanced and sustainable solutions.