Durban – March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has shared a social media post calling on Zimbabweans to participate in a nationwide shutdown planned for 31 July, as her movement continues its campaign against undocumented immigration in South Africa.
Ngobese-Zuma reposted a Facebook poster urging Zimbabweans to join the shutdown with the message: “Zimbabweans, Phakamani… the time is now.”
The poster urged Zimbabweans to observe the 31 July shutdown by staying away from work and school. While Ngobese-Zuma shared the post on Facebook, she did not state that the March and March movement was organising or endorsing the planned action. The original post was shared by an account named “Madzibaba Veshanduko”, which is linked to Zimbabwean opposition activist Godfrey Karembera.
The message urged Zimbabweans across all political divides to unite, saying: “This is not about political parties. It is about citizens and the future of our country!”
Ngobese-Zuma founded the March and March movement in South Africa in 2025, where it has led demonstrations calling for stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
Meanwhile, Ngobese-Zuma has rejected accusations that the movement is xenophobic, saying its leadership is no longer willing to repeatedly defend its position.
“Whoever thinks we’re xenophobic, it’s up to them. We’re tired. We can’t explain the same thing. It’s been over a year now of explaining one and the same thing,” she said.
According to IOL, Ngobese-Zuma made the remarks on Thursday in uMthwalume on KwaZulu-Natal’s south coast, where the movement launched its weekly anti-illegal immigration marches.
Last week, March and March announced that it would hold demonstrations every Thursday until the government demonstrates that it is taking the group’s concerns seriously.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
