South Africa: March and March and Afriforum Team Up Sparks Outrage

What the report says

South African civic movement March and March has drawn criticism after its leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, met with AfriForum representatives in Johannesburg on Tuesday, according to Scrolla as distributed by AllAfrica. The two sides agreed to set up a working group to explore cooperation on community safety, education, crime, border control and illegal immigration, and said they would also look at legal issues where their interests align.

Ngobese-Zuma defended the engagement after backlash on social media, saying her organisation would meet with anyone it believes can help improve communities and that cooperation does not mean agreement on every issue. AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel said the meeting focused on shared problems and possible collaboration in areas such as community organisation, capacity-building, mother-tongue education and peaceful coexistence.

The reaction online was sharply divided. Some critics accused Ngobese-Zuma of partnering with an opponent of black South African interests, while others praised the move as practical problem-solving at community level. AfriForum said it was prepared to share lessons from its own growth over the past two decades. The meeting is also notable because it follows another high-profile AfriForum engagement earlier in 2026 with MK Party leader Jacob Zuma. More broadly, the development reflects ongoing South African debates over race, service delivery, migration and civic cooperation.