Anti-illegal immigration movement March and March says it has no intention of entering politics, choosing instead to expand its work through legal advocacy and community support initiatives. The organisation announced the launch of two new non-profit structures during a media briefing in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.
Leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma said the movement had come under increasing pressure to register as a political party. However, she argued that remaining an independent civic organisation would allow it to better represent South Africans across the political spectrum.
March And March Says It Will Not Become A Political Party
Ngobese-Zuma said many supporters believed the movement would have greater influence if it entered politics. She disagreed, saying independence would enable March and March to engage with people from all political backgrounds.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure from people. I see people saying that they don’t want to be in a democracy, which is something that is just being thrown around,” she said.
The movement announced the creation of the SA First Forum, which it described as a social justice litigation body, alongside the March and March Foundation, a humanitarian non-profit organisation.
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“People are just big on political parties. Somehow, people still feel bound to political parties. They believe that if March and March becomes a political party, then they will be better represented.
“Personally, I don’t feel that we’ll do them much justice if we become a political party. I feel they have a better chance of us listening to them if we’re not in political parties because we can listen to anyone from any political party with any concerns.”
March and March has built its profile through demonstrations against undocumented foreign nationals. Ngobese-Zuma said the movement would not follow the same path as Operation Dudula, which later became a political party.
“Currently, I do feel like the system is not conducive for people who think like us. I feel like the system is designed to get people to stay in the system. There are people in political parties who are genuinely looking out for disabled people.”
March And March Calls For SADC Engagement And Rejects Xenophobia Claims
Ngobese-Zuma criticised what she described as the portrayal of South Africa as xenophobic across the continent. She argued that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should do more to address regional migration challenges.
“South Africa right now is being labelled as xenophobic all over Africa and the world.
“It’s very frustrating that African leaders spend so much money coming to conferences like this, where they sit together and make themselves feel good about each other. SADC should achieve what it’s meant to achieve for the people. If it doesn’t, then we have to make our voices heard.
“I wish other African citizens would focus more on their own countries than they do on South Africa. Then our voices would be more impactful in civic spaces and Parliament.”
She said the South African government should allow March and March representatives to address SADC leaders directly.
“Our government should be giving March and March an opportunity to speak at SADC so that we can tell those leaders the truth they don’t want to hear.
“Unfortunately, we’re in a country where people only want to hear from those who agree with them.
“If our government were a real government, they would ensure March and March was there and had an opportunity to speak to SADC.
“I know the problem with simply staging a protest is that, as happened with Operation Dudula, they will use that opportunity to make their own political decisions.
“That’s not the standard we want. We want a proper opportunity to tell African leaders exactly what the problem is in Africa today, and it’s not March and March. It’s definitely not xenophobia.”
Ngobese-Zuma also rejected allegations that the organisation receives financial backing from Israel.
“If our government wanted to prove we are funded by Israel, they would have done so. If they wanted to arrest us for breaking the law, they would have done that too.
“The reason they’re not doing it is because they know that’s not who we are. It’s not what we preach. It’s not what we encourage.”
March And March Models SA First Forum On AfriForum
Ngobese-Zuma confirmed that March and March intends to build the SA First Forum using AfriForum as a model. She said the aim was to provide legal support to South Africans while expanding community-based initiatives through its foundation.
“So yeah, I think with the AfriForum one, I can definitely confirm 100% that is the idea behind it.
“Because from the many instances we’ve seen, South Africans don’t know their rights. Because they don’t know even their most basic rights, they end up being abused by the very same system, from the police right through.
“You find that foreign nationals know our laws better than South Africans, and they capitalise on that.”
She said litigation was expensive and required sustainable funding, adding that the organisation hoped to build institutions that serve South Africans.
“We really do need to have a non-profit organisation because it all feeds into each other. A forum doesn’t have money falling from the sky. Litigation is very expensive. Hiring lawyers for these cases is very expensive.
“We’re hoping to create a model where South Africans are able to build something similar to AfriForum, where eventually we can build our own schools and do our own proudly South African initiatives. That’s why we call our forum SA First Forum because it’s South Africans first. We come first in our country, and that’s what it’s all about.
“We are not negotiating anymore about who we are in our own country. We’ve done that for many years, and now it’s time for that to end.”
Ngobese-Zuma said both the SA First Forum and the March and March Foundation would operate as non-profit organisations. She said the forum would focus on providing legal assistance to vulnerable South Africans, with its first case expected to challenge a South African Police Service circular the movement believes is unconstitutional.
“This forum will provide justice to the poorest South Africans, for whom justice has remained a distant dream for many years.
“We have established a non-profit entity trading as the SA First Forum. This organisation will be the vanguard of South African citizens.
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“It will, when necessary, lead legal action against those who exploit and disadvantage vulnerable people.”
“The first case to be dealt with by this forum will relate to the South African Police Service circular, which we believe is unconstitutional.”
She added that the foundation would tackle social issues including substance abuse, human trafficking, homelessness and education, while running programmes aimed at helping vulnerable young people rebuild their lives.
“The people of our country continue to suffer untold pain as a result of drugs sold to our youth. At the pace the problem is growing, we will have no men in the near future because they will either be addicted to drugs or illicit alcohol.
“Young children continue to be trafficked daily and sold into sexual exploitation across the country and around the world.
“Communities still live in squalor, often without basic services or adequate shelter.
“The movement has therefore decided to establish a foundation that will fight social ills in our communities, run programmes to help young people leave the streets, overcome drug addiction and reintegrate into society, while also helping young women leave prostitution and rebuild meaningful lives.”
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She said the foundation would also partner with like-minded South Africans to improve educational opportunities for black children, describing education as central to the country’s future.
This article first appeared on SurgeZirc SA.Â
