“I Don’t Know About Israel”: Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma Denies Foreign Funding Claims

• Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has dismissed claims that her organisation is receiving foreign funding, including allegations linking it to Israel
• She made the remarks during a media briefing where she also addressed growing scrutiny ahead of the June 30 deadline linked to undocumented foreign nationals
• Ngobese-Zuma insisted the movement is sustained through local donations and challenged critics to produce evidence for their claims

SOUTH AFRICA - March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has strongly denied claims that her organisation is funded by foreign interests, including allegations of links to Israel.

During a media briefing held on Tuesday, 24 June 2026, the organisation addressed growing public scrutiny ahead of the highly anticipated June 30 deadline, when undocumented foreign nationals are expected to leave the country under the movement’s campaign focus.

March and March dismiss foreign funding claims

Ngobese-Zuma used the platform to firmly dismiss rumours of external financial backing, describing them as baseless and misleading. She also said the organisation is prepared to provide proof of its funding sources.

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“Guys, I don’t know about Israel. The first time I heard about Israel was in the Bible, and now I’m being told I am funded by Israel,” she said.

She suggested that the narrative was a conspiracy aimed at discrediting the movement, questioning why it is difficult for some to believe that ordinary South Africans could support a cause financially.

“If this movement had white faces, it would be listened to,” she added, criticising what she described as biased media coverage and unfair public perception.

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Ngobese-Zuma slams conspiracy theories and ' the media'

Ngobese-Zuma further challenged journalists to verify their claims, stating that no media house had requested bank statements from the organisation to support allegations of foreign funding.

She maintained that the movement is primarily sustained through donations from local supporters and ordinary citizens.

Ngobese-Zuma warned that linking the movement to international conflicts could be harmful, arguing that such narratives risk misrepresenting the organisation’s intentions.

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“Imagine you say we are aligned to Israel, what would Palestinians think of us?” she said.

She further urged that African political issues should not be framed through global conflicts that have nothing to do with them.

Phakelumthakathi rejects foreign funding claims too

Similarly, anti-illegal immigration activist Phakelumthakathi has dismissed allegations that the movement he supports is tribalistic, xenophobic, and funded by Israel, calling the claims part of a “propaganda campaign.He addressed South Africans directly, thanking them for what he described as the “success” of the movement and insisting that accusations of foreign backing were false. He further said the propaganda is used to cause war, but it will never cause war in this country. He lastly added that the movement was rooted in what he described as indigenous South African identity.

Ngobese-Zuma gives June 30 marching orders

Briefly News also reported that March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma rallied supporters and said the country will be shut down on 30 June. She also defended her surname amid allegations that she was linked to the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party through her surname. Addressing the crowd, she said that protesters must not loot or attack anyone because the minute any violence breaks out, the international community will accuse South Africans of using anti-illegal immigration rhetoric to commit crime.

Source: Briefly News