“Stop Supporting Them:" Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma Calls for Boycott of Foreign-Owned Spaza Shops

• March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has called on South Africans to stop buying from foreign-owned spaza shops, urging support for bulk shopping at supermarkets instead
• In a viral video, she links foreign-run township businesses to unemployment and safety concerns, sparking intense online debate
• The remarks have divided public opinion, with supporters backing her stance while critics accuse her of promoting xenophobia

SOUTH AFRICA - Leader of the March and March movement, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, has urged South Africans to stop purchasing from foreign-owned spaza shops, in a video that has rapidly circulated across social media platforms.

In the trending clip, Ngobese-Zuma said South Africans cannot complain about unemployment if they continue to support foreigners' businesses.

What did she say?

In the clip, Ngobese-Zuma specifically calls on communities to avoid shops owned by foreign nationals from countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia, arguing that continued support for these businesses contributes to unemployment and is linked to what she describes as unsafe trading networks. She instead encourages bulk buying from supermarkets as an alternative.

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“We have to reach a point where we recognise that we are the problem. Stop supporting their businesses. When you see them laughing, they are laughing because they think you are a joke," she said

She further urged South Africans to make ways to avoid shopping in the foreign-owned spaza shops, linking the support to the weakening of the South African economy

"When you take out your R50 and give it to them, they take money that is meant to remain in South Africa and send it to Somalia or Ethiopia."

See the viral clip posted in X here:

The remarks have divided public opinion online. Supporters echo her concerns amid South Africa’s high unemployment and previous food safety scares that have seen hundreds of spaza shops temporarily closed. Critics, however, have condemned the message as xenophobic, warning that it unfairly targets foreign traders while larger multinational retailers remain unaffected.

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South Africans debated in the comments section

@NevondoRi argued:

"So are we boycotting KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, Walmart, Louis Vuitton, etc? What’s the criteria?"

@GamsahabnidaL agreed and said:

"I totally agree with her and support her. I don't knowingly utilise any service provided by foreigners."

@explodes25 said:

"All foreign-owned businesses or shops are owned by legal foreigners who are licensed and pay tax. I guess this is all about the illegal ones."

@SteveVulture wrote:

"lol South Africans are landlords to the foreign nationals' shops."

@nemo67645648 commented:

"This is a wake-up call for Africans. Every African should stay in their country and fight for change. No matter what you support, your country is your only home."

Ngobese-Zuma confronts journalist over 'xenophobia' claims

Previously, Briefly News reported that emotions ran high in Durban when March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma confronted Deutsche Welle correspondent Dianne Hawker over claims that the movement’s actions were xenophobic. Ngobese-Zuma and the movement’s supporters were gathered outside the Diakonia Centre, where hundreds of foreign nationals have been camped out for two days.

Source: Briefly News