By Sihle Mavuso
The leader of the March and March Movement, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, has hit back at President Cyril Ramaphosa over his remarks that South Africans were “deeply concerned and ashamed” by the discrimination and ill-treatment of foreign nationals in the country in recent months.
Ngobese-Zuma said it had become clear that Ramaphosa was more concerned about foreign nationals than South Africans facing hardship.
Ramaphosa made the remarks during a public lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus in Durban on Friday, ahead of the 46th SADC Summit.
Ngobese-Zuma said the movement was not ashamed of anything and that Ramaphosa was not speaking on its behalf.
She was speaking in Durban on Monday as the movement marched to the Durban ICC, where SADC leaders were meeting, to demand that regional governments take responsibility for their citizens living illegally in South Africa.
The protesters accused some foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans, of being involved in crime in Johannesburg.
“Have you ever heard the president saying he is ashamed because a child has been raped in a tuckshop by a foreign national? Have you ever heard President Ramaphosa saying he is ashamed that South African kids have no learning space at Addington (Primary School in Durban) but children of foreign nationals are admitted?” she said.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa only gets ashamed when he has to go to these countries where he has mines.”
Ngobese-Zuma said the march was aimed particularly at the presidents of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, whose citizens she accused of causing problems in South Africa.
She also criticised the South African government, describing its leaders as “puppets” who were not patriotic and accusing them of prioritising money over the interests of South Africans.
“We have no government here, but puppets, things that can make sure that if I can come with money today, they can give me all that I want. Puppets who do not think about the future of their children,” she said.
“Things that think that they will be in power forever, things that don’t know that once they are dead, their kids will still live in the same country they are selling now. They are banking on taking them overseas where they are also being chased away and they will come back here.”
The march became tense along Joe Slovo and Samora Machel streets when protesters became rowdy, prompting police to intervene.
On Joe Slovo Street, protesters deviated from the planned route and approached a shop owned by a Pakistani national. The shop was briefly closed while police stepped in to protect the premises.
At Samora Machel Street, protesters attempted to push through a police line at one of the entrances to the Durban ICC, where SADC leaders were meeting, but were later contained by officers.
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