Failure at the fence: “As long as undocumented migrants are here, we will march every Thursday” – Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma

Staff Reporter

Durban – While much of the public debate centred on the success or failure of Monday’s nationwide protest, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma used the occasion to answer a question many had been asking: What happens if undocumented migrants remain in South Africa after 30 June?

According to Ngobese-Zuma, the campaign is far from over.

She vowed that protests would continue every Thursday until undocumented migrants are removed from the country.

“The deadline has passed, but we have not received the answers we wanted. I understand that around 7,000 people have left and there are still about 50,000 remaining. If we look at the numbers, 50,000 is still far too many,” she said.

Ngobese-Zuma called on the government to deploy surveillance technology, including drones and specialised vehicles, to locate and remove undocumented migrants.

“We have seen that our government has drones and surveillance vehicles. For the next six months, we want that equipment to be used to remove foreign nationals who are in South Africa illegally. They must go from building to building,” she said.

She argued that law enforcement should begin in areas she described as crime hotspots, including the Point precinct in Durban, which she is associated with drug dealing and brothels.

“We know where the drug dens are, so why is the government not acting?” she asked.

Referring to the reported R600 million allocated by government to contain the demonstrations, Ngobese-Zuma said the funding should be enough to accommodate weekly protests.

“From now on, across South Africa, for as long as they have not left, every Thursday we march. Next Thursday we march, the Thursday after that we march, and we will continue until there are no more Thursdays because we are not giving up on our demand that undocumented migrants leave South Africa.

“We hope the government has another R600 million because, for as long as there are places where drugs are sold in broad daylight, we will not stop.”

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The protests have also drawn support from some political parties.

The Inkata Freedom Party and ActionSA in KZN have publicly supported calls for stronger action against undocumented migrants.

The Executive Mayor of the Inkosi Langalibalele also joined the demonstrations, reiterating remarks previously made by his party’s leadership.

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Zakhele Mchwango, ActionSA’s leader in KwaZulu-Natal, said the demonstrations should serve as a wake-up call for the government.

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Meanwhile, ANC has not made a prominent public response to the demonstrations, drawing criticism from some protesters who believe the governing party has remained silent on the issue.

At the time of publishing, Beitbridge Border post recorded 36 000 Malawian and 16 000 Zimbabweans repatriated.

This article will be updated as more details are received.

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