March and March Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese Zuma
Tshwane Talks conducted a one-on-one interview with March and March Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese Zuma regarding issues like apparent smuggling of medicines including ARVs by foreigners, misperceptions of the organisation being xenophobic, the movement’s campaign to prevent foreigners from using public health facilities and the movement’s assumed political ambitions.
1. What is your response to reports which suggest that foreigners smuggle
medicines including ARVs out of the country as shown in the bus accident thathappened in Limpopo Province?
The reports concerning the bus accident in Limpopo, where significant quantities of South African state-funded medications, including ARVs, were discovered, are not just reports they are undeniable evidence of systemic corruption and the severe abuse of our public health system.
This is a direct crime against South African taxpayers and vulnerable citizens who rely on these essential, often life-saving, medicines.
Our response is one of outrage and a demand for accountability.
The incident tragically confirms the March and March Movement’s core concern: uncontrolled access to public resources by undocumented/illegal individuals is leading to massive leakage and smuggling operations. Every pill smuggled out is a South African citizen who may be denied treatment due to shortages.
We demand an immediate, comprehensive investigation by the SAPS and all relevant departments to stop this spillaging of our resources.
2. What is your response to the fact that the Human Rights Commission is always after you and taking you to court every now and then?
The actions of the SAHRC speak for themselves.
By focusing their limited resources on harassing and attempting to silence civic movements like ours movements that demand legal compliance the SAHRC demonstrates a clear bias in favour of undocumented and illegal foreign nationals.
We ask a simple question: What about the human rights of South African citizens?
The rights of citizens to security, dignity, access to services, and the protection of their sovereign resources are routinely violated by illegal immigration, yet the SAHRC remains silent on this matter, effectively choosing to support illegality over
the rights of the citizens they are mandated to protect.
3. What is your response to those who opine that your organisation is xenophobic?
Our organisation is not against any nationality; we are against illegality. We are a pro-rule-of-law movement.
We demand that South Africa enforce its immigration legislation, border controls, and labour laws, just as every sovereign nation on the planet does.
If enforcing the law is xenophobic, then every government in the world from the USA and Canada to the UK and Australia is xenophobic.
The hypocrisy of this accusation fails to recognize that enforcing laws is the fundamental duty of a government to its citizens.
4. Is your organisation prepared to intensify its efforts to prevent foreigners from accessing public hospitals and clinics or will you maybe stop as a result of pressure
from organisations like Human Rights Commission?
The March and March Movement will absolutely not stop our efforts.
We are prepared to intensify them. Our primary mandate is to protect the rights of South African citizens and legal residents.
We are not advocating for inhumane treatment; we are demanding adherence to the law and prioritisation of South African citizens.
The pressure from any organisation, including the SAHRC, will not deter us.
Their legal standing only highlights the extent to which they prioritize the immediate comfort of individuals breaking the law over the long-term, sustainable human rights of millions of citizens who are currently facing hospital shortages and collapsing public services.
5. When, why and where was your organisation March and March formed?
The March and March Movement was formed in March 2025 in Durban, KwaZuluNatal.
The movement was born out of profound frustration over the widespread
failure of state institutions to enforce the country’s existing laws,particularly those pertaining to immigration, border control, and the protection of public resources.
Our founding purpose is to be a non-political, focused civic voice that demands action, enforcement, and accountability from the government.
6. Do you maybe plan to run for the forthcoming local government elections or even national general elections in the future?
No, the March and March Movement has no plans to run for the forthcoming local
government elections or any national general elections in the future.
7. Are you a political party at the moment?
No, the March and March Movement is not a political party at the moment, and we
do not intend to become one in the future.
We are a civic, advocacy, and social
movement dedicated to demanding accountability from all political parties and the state.
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