“Peace”: Zulu King Asks SA To Be Compassionate Towards Foreigners Ahead of 30 June

• King Misuzulu kaZwelithini made an emotional plea at the International Day of Yoga in Durban
• The king asked the Zulu people specifically not to shed blood or attack foreign nationals
• The king acknowledged that undocumented foreigners should not be in South Africa without papers but said hardship and suffering drove them here

The Zulu king has stepped into one of South Africa's most heated conversations ahead of the 30 June deadline. X user Sihle Mavuso shared a video on 21 June 2026 of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini addressing the crowd at the 12th International Day of Yoga at the Durban Amphitheatre. He said:

"King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is pleading with Zulu people not to spill blood or attack foreign nationals. He says they are here because of hardships in their own countries."

Speaking directly to his people, the king said:

"I'm asking you, Zulus, let no blood be shed. Do not hit people. Suffering brought them here. Just as we suffer."

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He also confirmed he had spoken directly to anti-immigration activists Phakel'umthakathi and Ngizwe Mchunu, telling them the same thing.

What the king said about foreigners and papers

King Misuzulu was careful to separate compassion from condoning illegal immigration. He made clear that South Africa does not want undocumented people in the country, drawing a comparison to how South Africans themselves cannot travel to other countries without the right papers.

His message was not that illegal immigration was acceptable, but that violence against any person could never be justified regardless of the circumstances.

The address came after a Malawian national was killed and two others were seriously injured following a march in Pietermaritzburg.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli condemned the killing, calling on law enforcement to identify and prosecute those responsible. The Msunduzi Municipality has since been relocating migrants from unofficial sites to a designated facility, with close to 4,000 people deported or repatriated to date.

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Repatriation efforts continue in KZN

eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba confirmed that the pace of departures has picked up, with eight buses carrying 784 people back to Malawi in a single day.

The South African government has made 20 buses available to speed up the repatriation process.

Watch the X clip below:

SA debates the Zulu king's plea

South Africans had mixed feelings in the comments section on Sihle Mavuso's X page:

@KhandaniM said:

"Hardship doesn't make entering SA illegally acceptable. Countless people are in prison for stealing bread to feed their kids. Should more hungry Africans come to SA?"

@PKPPatriot wrote:

"If all South African kings and queens can be like him, we can reclaim this country from criminal politicians. Long live the King."

@mcphyl20681 said:

"Now let us see what the leadership of those movements will say about the king."

@Nelisiwe94 wrote:

"Illegal economic migrants should leave South Africa. South Africans are also facing hardship in their own country."

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@deputyneighbor said:

"He must not bore us. When is he talking about the hardship of his fellow South Africans and especially his Zulu people?"

@Seni_WaMboni wrote:

"Is he saying we should accept illegal foreigners because they ran away from the incompetence and failures of their dictators?"

More on SA's immigration tensions

• Briefly News recently reported on the growing warnings from civil society that conditions ahead of 30 June are looking dangerously similar to those that triggered the July 2021 unrest.
• Former EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi backed King Misuzulu's call for calm ahead of the June 30 deadline.
• Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi also weighed in after buses full of Malawians were found in Newlands.

Source: Briefly News