"Prove You're South African": Lawyer Mistaken for a Foreigner Expresses Concern Over March and March

• Advocate Moafrika Wa Maila shared a video describing how a group of men stopped him on Bosman Street in Pretoria and demanded to see his ID
• The men called him 'amakwerekwere' and questioned whether his Pedi surname was South African before releasing him
• The clip ignited fierce debate online, with some viewers questioning the story and others saying it proved the movement had gone too far

GAUTENG - A Pretoria-based lawyer says a group of men stopped him in broad daylight and demanded to see proof that he was South African, a run-in he says made him realise just how serious the March and March movement has become.

Advocate MoAfrika Wa Maila shared a video account of the encounter on Thursday, 9 July 2026. He had just returned from buying coffee from a street vendor on Bosman Street when a group of Zulu-speaking men confronted him, using the xenophobic slur "amakwerekwere" and demanding he produce his ID.

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Maila said he had his wallet on him and handed over his ID. The men read his name aloud and immediately questioned whether his surname, Maila, was South African. He told them it was a Pedi name, from Limpopo. One member of the group said he recognised it.

"You are lucky we know the surname, otherwise we were going to deal with you," the man told him.

A lawyer's warning about March and March

Shaken by the encounter, Maila said the experience changed his understanding of the March and March movement.

"It's more real than social media because these guys were there and I could pick up that these guys don't care if I'm documented, they just want foreigners," he said.

He stopped short of calling for the movement to end but urged that it be better controlled.

Watch the video that sparked the debate here:

The clip spread quickly online and split opinion in the comments section.

Mzansi reacts to the incident

@keke4nene asked:

"What are the chances of being confronted by a Zulu mob in Pretoria CBD?"

@Blacksh90139340 wrote:

"Who gave Zulus a mandate to walk around wanting people's IDs?"

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@banganayi challenged:

"But he as a magistrate is not spelling out the illegality of the people asking him to produce an id when they are not law enforcement agents. ."

@Inako_Yolwa01 pushed back:

"These are lies to spread division among South African tribes 🤞💁‍♀️💯 Don't fall for it."

@mokone_eddie offered a correction:

"'Zulu speaking' man rather. They might not necessarily be Zulu."

Pretoria woman shares about xenophobic experience

Previously Briefly News reported that woman shared about an alleged xenophobic experience during an e-hailing trip in Pretoria. The video angered South Africans after a passenger was allegedly questioned about her nationality and language. The footage surfaced on 2 July 2026 after Ntiyiso Taylor shared her sister’s experience online, describing it as an example of growing tribal discrimination.

Source: Briefly News