South Africa: March and March Leader Says She Does Not Fear White People

What the report says

March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma publicly defended her movement’s recent meeting with AfriForum, saying criticism would not stop the group from seeking ideas it believes could help poor communities. Speaking outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday, she said her organization would not let South Africa’s racial history determine who it can engage with, and argued that politicians were trying to use apartheid-era mistrust to discredit the encounter.

Ngobese-Zuma said March and March wanted to learn about programmes that could benefit people in townships and rural areas, rather than debate land or accusations around genocide. She framed the meeting as practical, saying the movement was interested in how other groups organize community development and protection initiatives. She also said she had grown up and attended school with white people, and described herself as unafraid to work across racial lines.

The court appearance was tied to supporters of March and March gathering in Pietermaritzburg to back Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality Mayor Mduduzi Sobholenyoni Myeza. According to the report, Myeza is challenging legal restrictions linked to alleged anti-immigrant social media posts, shop raids and calls for undocumented foreign nationals to leave Estcourt. The court has kept restrictions on his social media and access to foreign-owned shops in place while the case continues, underscoring the wider tensions around immigration, local politics and community activism in the area.