March-and-March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has challenged the government to give her organisation R600 million so that they can show the selfsame government how to run a country with that amount of money.
Ngobese-Zuma made this challenge at a media briefing held by her organisation together with other civic organisations which, like March-and-March, have taken a stand against illegal immigration in South Africa.
“If the government s going to spend R600 million regarding perceived violence on 30 June, then they must work hard and show that they can protect us,” she said.
“We can’t keep on crying all the time about our borders being porous with the government failing to protect us and when we decide to do something about this situation we are told to take responsibility; but who is taking responsibility for those kids out there in the streets who are smoking drugs, and who takes responsibility for all the illegal things coming through our borders as well as human trafficking that is happening in our country? ” she demanded to know.
“If anyone wants to point a finger at who must take responsibility, then start with those who allowed illegal immigration into this country; those are the ones who must take responsibility for anything that will happen on 30 June, so don’t put the blame on us because we have done our due diligence,” she said.
She pointed out that “we have put our heads on the block here and everyone throughout the world is pointing fingers at us; hating us and swearing at us yet the government ( which is responsible for the immigration chaos) is keeping quiet as if this is our problem as March-and-March.”
She said the problem of illegal immigration was not created by March-and-March but that it was created by the South African government.
“We didn’t invite any illegal immigrants here as we don’t want to feel unsafe in our own country, and we didn’t envision a time in our country where there would be no beds available at hospitals and no space for children at schoosl,” said Ngobese-Zuma.
She quelled rumours that March-and-March is funded by the State of Israel and pointed out that she doesn’t know anyone who comes from Israel, and that the only time she has ever heard about Israel was in the Holy Bible.
Ngobese-Zuma then revealed that March-and-March has a bank account wherein ordinary citizens make donations to her movement.
Another wild allegation which Ngobese-Zuma dispelled was that her organisation was targeting dark-skinned Africans in its campaigns; pointing out that her organisation targets anyone who is an illegal immigrant, including illegal Asians who run spaza shops illegally in South Africa.
She asserted that the spaza shop sector has been hijacked by immigrants from countries like Pakistan, Ethiopia and Somalia.
“We met with companies like Take-a-lot, Chekers 66 and Uber with the purpose of reminding them of their responsibility towards the country and that they are breaking the law by hiring illegal foreigners,” she said.
Ngobese-Zuma expressed dismay about the fact that March-and-March is described by some media houses as a vigilante group “because everyone should be condemning companies which break the law by hiring illegal foreigners instead of condemning March-and-March for standing up for the rule of law,” lamented Ngobese-Zuma.
“Aiding and abetting illegal foreigners is an act of breaking the laws of this country,” she emphasised.
Ngobese-Zuma asserted that many police officers were ignorant of the immigration laws and that they are often duped by foreigners who upon being requested to produce a work permit would produce a passport and that the police would often fall for the trick, thereby inadvertently allowing them to work in this country illegally.
According to Ngobese-Zuma, the South African government must take a leaf from countries like Libya and the UAE who have banned Nigerians from entering their respective countries, yet the South African government currently allowss Nigerians to stay in this country illegally and sell drugs.
“From our side as March-and-March we will do our best to make sure that there is no violence on 30 March even though we don’t have R600 million to spend in our efforts to protect our people,” she said.
“If the government would give March-and-March R600 million, then it will see the difference; we are saying give us R600 million rand and with it we will show you how to take care of a country,” stressed Ngobese-Zuma.
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