“I Won’t Learn isiZulu”: Ntshaveni Says Language Is Being Used to Mobilise Anti-Foreigner Protests
- Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says language is being used to mobilise communities during anti-foreigner protests in Gauteng
- Ntshavheni claimed some South Africans are being wrongly labelled as undocumented foreigners simply because they cannot speak certain local languages
- The minister also sparked outrage after saying she would only learn isiZulu when Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini learns Tshivenda, Xitsonga and Sepedi
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Source: Twitter
GAUTENG — Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has sparked heated debate on social media after saying she would only learn isiZulu when Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini learns Tshivenda, Xitsonga and Sepedi.
Ntshavheni made the remarks while addressing the recent anti-immigration protests on 7 May 2026. The protests have been linked to growing frustration over illegal immigration and unemployment in parts of Gauteng.
What did the Minister say?
Speaking to the crowd, the Limpopo-born minister warned against what she described as tribal mobilisation disguised as anti-foreigner activism.
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“We can’t have people willy-nilly deciding to attack others with no basis of the attack based on a sentiment of tribal mobilisation that is happening. A particular group wants to mobilise people against a particular tribe,” she said.
Ntshavheni claimed there was a video showing a Venda man being harassed during one of the protests despite showing his South African ID.
“If you cannot speak that language, then you are deemed a foreign national and undocumented,” she added.
"I will learn IsiZulu when th Zulu King can speak Shangaan and Sepedi"
During a media Q&A session after her address, a journalist asked Ntshavheni whether she would learn isiZulu. Responding partly in isiZulu, she said:
“Maybe I will learn isiZulu when the king of the Zulus can speak Shangaan and Sepedi because no one has any right to demand that I speak their language.”
The minister said the situation was dangerous and could destabilise the country if left unchecked.
“We are saying this thing is meant to destabilise the country. The anti-foreigner sentiment is a ruse that people are using to mobilise society,” she said.
See the clip of the minister's comments shared on X:
Social media reactions
Her comments quickly triggered backlash online, with some accusing her of sowing divisions, while others defended her argument about language diversity and tribal tensions in South Africa.
@azania1023 said:
"Very irresponsible of the Minister to drag Isilo King MisuZulu in this."
@collen_sambo2 said:
"We stand by Comrade Ntshavheni. You can’t force people to speak a language that’s foreign to them. And why are you only speaking and understanding your own native language?"
@errolbsk said:
"This one wants to defocus us. She is dividing instead of uniting."
@IndWorldThinker said:
"The wrong people are in power. Instead of going to people and taking their grievances, you are busy pushing propaganda and divisions."
@Snupih said:
"No accountability at all. She’s more of a tribalist to me than the people on the ground who are calling for law and order in our country to be exercised. You can’t be so narrow-minded as a leader and so out of touch."
Ntshaveni comments on the Igbo King coronation
Previously, Briefly News reported that Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, described the coronation of a Nigerian king in the Eastern Cape as a ‘kindergarten gimmick’ with no legal standing. Ntshavheni made the comments on Thursday, 2 April 2026, in Pretoria, while briefing the media about outcomes of a recent cabinet meeting. Ntshavheni emphasised that strict legal frameworks governed recognition of traditional leadership in South Africa.
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Source: Briefly News
