Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma Tears Into Mbuyiseni Ndlozi’s Criticism of March and March Movement’s Protests

• During an episode of African Renaissance Podcast that aired on 8 May 2026, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi criticised the March and March Movement's anti-illegal immigration marches
• Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma defended the protests, arguing they reveal genuine crime concerns often overlooked by critics like Ndlozi
• Gareth Cliff previously discussed socio-economic factors driving anti-illegal immigration protests and warned of potential consequences

March and March Movement founding leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has reacted to former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) politician Mbuyiseni Ndlozi’s criticism of the anti-illegal immigration marches. Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, together with Ngizwe Mchunu and Phakelumthakathi.

As the host of the African Renaissance Podcast, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi hosted a live session that only discussed questions from the show’s YouTube Channel’s comment section. Professor Bongani Ngqulunga and Professor Thula Simpson joined Dr Ndlozi for the discussion.

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi criticises March and March Movement's protests

On Monday, 18 May 2026, X (Twitter) user @SimplyEXT shared a snippet of the clip, which originally premiered on YouTube on 8 May. In the video, Ndlozi criticised anti-illegal immigration protests, arguing that the movement promotes xenophobia instead of constructive solutions. He said discussions around illegal immigration should focus on proper documentation and governance rather than hostility toward foreign nationals.

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“That particular xenophobic movement, because they’re resolving the problem amongst Africans. It’s the problem amongst Africans. They’re resolving it by mobilising hate. It's very possible to talk about all those issues without mobilising hate,” Ndlozi said.

He added that there is nothing wrong with calling for proper documentation of people living in the country, saying it is necessary for legal and administrative reasons.

“It's very possible to speak about the fact that we must all know who we live with. I must know who you are because the day there's a dispute, I must be able to find you, and we will go to court and resolve the dispute. So, no one is gonna wake up and say there shouldn't be documentation. Otherwise, how could we play in a country? How would we budget? We need to budget and all those things,” Mbuyiseni Ndlozi added.

Ndlozi also questioned the effectiveness of anti-illegal immigration marches and accused communities of benefiting from the same foreign nationals they publicly criticise. Using spaza shops as an example, he argued that many foreign-owned businesses operate with the cooperation of South Africans who rent out space to them.

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“The true name for it is called Lumpen radicalism. I give you the most dramatic example. You see Spaza shops of Ethiopians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi? I think it's very small, but let's say that. They are not in town, far away. They are not in complexes per se. Where are they? In your garages. Who opened the door of the garage for the Ethiopian to have a Spaza shop? Who takes the rent? Then you leave the house and go to march. How did you come to the agreement? How do they pay you such that they're engaged in this illegality? Did you say, 'Are you documented?' Did you ask those questions? That's the phenomenon of let's chase these Spaza shops out. But it's a mutual economy,” Ndlozi explained.

Watch the clip below for Mbuyiseni Ndlozi’s full comments:

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma blasts Mbuyiseni Ndlozi

The comments quickly sparked debate on social media, with many weighing in on Ndlozi’s views. Among those who responded was Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, who dismissed his argument and accused him of ignoring the crimes uncovered during anti-illegal immigration protests.

“That’s why they invite each other to these podcasts, to reassure each other of their correctness about certain issues! The man doesn’t even know that on that day of the horses we uncovered so much crime!” the former VUMA FM presenter said.

She argued that critics of the movement focus too much on terminology while ignoring what she described as genuine concerns from communities. Ngobese-Zuma also claimed that Ndlozi was unwilling to engage with opposing views and was more focused on proving himself right than understanding the lived experiences of affected communities.

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“To them, the crime element doesn’t matter because we must name the issue correctly so that we can make the foreigners the victims as usual! I’m not surprised by @MbuyiseniNdlozi’s take, actually! And believe me, he will not allow himself to be challenged on it, he wants to be correct by all means, even if it disregards people’s genuine, lived experiences that he knows nothing of!” she added.

See the post below:

Gareth Cliff discusses causes of anti-illegal immigration marches

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Gareth Cliff shared his views on the growing anti-illegal immigration protests.

He shared the socio-economic reasons why South Africans are protesting and also shared a warning about where things could be heading if the situation is not handled carefully.

Source: Briefly News