Ngizwe Mchunu Hits Back After Suspension: “We Can’t March Forever” as March and March Cuts Ties

Controversial former Ukhozi FM presenter and anti-migrant activist Ngizwe Mchunu has responded to his suspension by the March and March movement, insisting that the organisation’s campaign has already achieved significant gains and that continuous protests were never meant to continue indefinitely.

His remarks come after the movement announced that it had suspended its working relationship with Mchunu pending further investigations into allegations of interference and attempts to weaken the organisation from within.

The decision was taken during an ordinary National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on July 25, where the leadership considered a report from the movement’s governance and legal compliance structures.

In a video released on Monday, Mchunu appeared unfazed by the fallout, reflecting on the movement’s anti-illegal immigration campaign and arguing that its objectives had already begun producing results.

“My people, it became dark on the evening of Monday, July 27. We have just returned from Richards Bay, where we were fighting against the abuse of workers by Transnet,” he said.

“We hope the message we delivered will be heard. I speak with great joy after more than 1,000 marches across South Africa before the June 30 deadline for illegal migrants to leave.

“We are very happy because our actions have started to yield results.”

Mchunu said the campaign had reached a point where continued marches targeting undocumented migrants were no longer necessary.

“As much as we did not accomplish everything we set out to do, we cannot march forever. That is the truth, because we have no intention of collapsing the economy,” he said.

“I speak as someone who has been arrested.”

He also criticised movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and anti-migrant activist Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, popularly known as Phakela’umthakathi, suggesting they lacked the experience to lead the movement.

“My fellow leaders, Phakela and MaNgobese, are junior to me. They are excited by everything, including the limelight and relevance.

“I am no longer excited. I have become a visionary. I know what to do and when to do it. When someone is weak, someone else has to protect everyone. We must lift one another up,” he said.

IOL reached out to Ngobese Zuma, who declined to comment on Mchunu’s remarks 

“I dont have a comment,” she said.

March and March movement national spokesperson Sandile Dube said the movement had received a report from its governance and legal compliance wing following what he described as a protracted investigation.

According to Dube, the investigation examined alleged attempts by political role players and business cartels to destabilise the movement and demobilise its supporters.

“The movement has come to the conclusion that these actions are orchestrated by lazy thinkers, criminals and beneficiaries of colonialism who do not see anything wrong with our youth languishing in drugs, unemployment and the dilution of our identity while they live large at the expense of our indigenous people,” he said.

Dube added that the movement accepted the investigation’s findings, which allegedly pointed to “an offer and acceptance of gratification in exchange for the soul of the Movement and our people”.

“This is a war we are prepared to fight relentlessly. We want a united South Africa, and we want to work with people we can trust,” he said.

He announced that the movement would suspend its working relationship with Mchunu.

“Having considered the facts before us, juxtaposed with the founding principles and values espoused in our mission statement, and having attempted to engage with all our stakeholders, the movement has accordingly resolved that, pending further investigations, it will not be working with Mr Ngizwe Mchunu,” Dube said.

The announcement follows Mchunu’s meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, alongside  Phakela, just hours before nationwide demonstrations on June 30.

The pair co-led marches calling for tougher enforcement against undocumented migrants and were received by Ramaphosa as part of efforts to engage directly with figures associated with the protest movement.

Last month, movement leaderNgobese-Zuma said she had repeatedly sought a meeting with Ramaphosa but had received no response, despite the Presidency meeting with Mchunu and Ndabandaba.

Speaking to journalists in Durban after thousands of supporters marched against undocumented immigration, Ngobese-Zuma said she had not been aware of the meeting between Mchunu, Ndabandaba and Ramaphosa. She said she had not been involved in any discussions leading up to the meeting and had not been informed about what was discussed.

Ngobese-Zuma also announced that demonstrations against undocumented immigration would be held every Thursday for the next three months until the government responded to the movement’s demands.

“For as long as they haven’t left, we are marching every Thursday,” she said.

She reiterated that the movement had repeatedly requested a meeting with Ramaphosa without success.

“We’ve sent several requests to meet with him, but he has not responded to any of them,” she said.

Asked whether she would meet Ramaphosa if he extended an invitation, Ngobese-Zuma questioned why such a meeting had not already taken place.

“Well, if he wanted to meet us he would have done it by now, but I guess it’s the Zuma surname,” she said.

Ngobese-Zuma said she believed Ramaphosa had previously spoken about ethnic mobilisation and hoped he would address the issue differently.

She argued that the protests reflected concerns shared by South Africans from different backgrounds.

“The President said a lot of things about ethnic mobilisation and all of that and, you know, I was hoping that he would address those things, where all of those things come from, because all of these people across the country are not one ethnicity. It’s a number of people, different races. You saw for yourself today, all complaining about the same thing,” she previously said.

On Monday, IOL approached Mchunu for a comment, but attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

xolile.mthebu@iol.co.za

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