March and March Founder Says June 30 Deadline Failed as Millions of Undocumented Migrants Remain

• March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma said the movement's June 30 deadline failed to remove undocumented foreign nationals from South Africa
• Ngobese-Zuma cited porous borders operating at 25% capacity and a Home Affairs department unable to execute deportations as key reasons for the ongoing crisis
• The movement announced it would continue staging rolling weekly demonstrations targeting businesses that hire undocumented workers, and Briefly News spoke to migration experts

KWAZULU-NATAL — Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, founder of the March and March movement, has declared that the immigration crisis in South Africa remains entirely unresolved, saying the organisation's self-imposed deadline of 30 June 2026 came and went without producing meaningful results.

Ngobese-Zuma made the remarks during a public anti-illegal immigration demonstration on 9 July 2026 in KwaZulu-Natal, where protesters assembled to confront specific businesses suspected of employing undocumented workers. The demonstration was reported on by SABC News.

June 30 deadline yields few results

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Ngobese-Zuma stated that only a small number of foreign nationals left the country following the deadline, while millions of undocumented individuals continue to reside in South African communities. She said the deadline did not trigger the mass departure the movement had anticipated, and placed the blame squarely on systemic failures within state enforcement structures.

She criticised the Department of Home Affairs for lacking the institutional capacity to carry out deportations at scale. According to Ngobese-Zuma, national borders are currently operating at just 25% of their required functionality, leaving large sections of the country's perimeter effectively unmonitored and easily crossed.

Border failures and Visa policy under fire

The March and March leader also aimed existing visa-free entry arrangements, arguing they allow foreign nationals to enter South Africa through legal channels but provide no adequate mechanism to track whether they depart once their permitted stay expires. She said the absence of physical border barriers further compounds the problem, as nothing prevents repeat illegal crossings.

Ngobese-Zuma said her organisation would not stand down, and confirmed that rolling weekly demonstrations would continue until the government enforces existing immigration legislation and takes concrete steps to protect South African citizens.

Watch the video here:

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Briefly News speaks to experts

Dr Serwat and Susanna Deetlefs from ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) spoke to Briefly News about the anti-illegal immigration protests. They commented on the weekly protests.

"Anti-migrant demonstrations have become a more consistent feature of South Africa's protest landscape in recent years, but sustained, high-profile weekly mobilisation over a period of six months would be unusual. Historically, anti-migrant campaigns tend to build gradually around politically salient moments—such as policy announcements, government deadlines, or highly publicised incidents—before declining over the following one to two months as public momentum diminishes," they said.

"This pattern was evident following the wave of anti-migrant demonstrations in mid-2025, as well as after the Operation Dudula-led protests in late 2024. Although continued demonstrations are expected in the coming weeks, sustaining weekly protests over six months at the scale of the 30 June demonstrations will be challenging."

Netizens discuss Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma

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The video drew significant engagement online, with Facebook users divided between admiration and scepticism.

Itumeleng Jnr commented:

"This is Winnie Mandela of our lifetime."

Sammy Makgetha wrote:

"She'll be president of the Republic of South Africa."

Filhinho Dos Mazanga added:

"She's patiently waiting for the president's invitation."

John Graver offered a more cryptic observation:

"I see a fisherman is busy providing a boundary between the water of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean to be apart."

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma shares Thursday shutdown details

Similarly, Briefly News reported on Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma's announcement of meeting points for the upcoming second wave of the March and March Movement's anti-illegal immigration campaign, branded Operation Abahambe. This mobilisation follows a national shutdown on June 30, 2026, highlighting the growing community engagement in advocating for change across South Africa.

Source: Briefly News