ActionSA and LACO defend anti-illegal migration activist in KZN school crisis
Anti-illegal migration movement founder, March and March, Jacinta Ngobese Zuma outside the Point police station on Tuesday where she handed herself over after a charge of incitement of violene was opened against her organisation following continued protests at Addington Primary School, South Beach, Durban, over placement of learners.
Image: DOCTOR NGCOBO Independent Newspapers
ActionSA in KwaZulu-Natal and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party-affiliated Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) have come out in strong defence of anti-illegal migration activist Jacinta Zinhle Ngobese Zuma following her voluntary surrender to police in in Point SAPS, in Durban after a case of alleged incitement to violence was opened against her.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, ActionSA KZN provincial chairperson and councillor Zwakele Mncwango said while the party respects the rule of law and due process, arresting Ngobese Zuma would do little to address what he described as the “real crisis” unfolding at Addington Primary School.
Symptomatic Governance Failures
Mncwango argued that the controversy surrounding the school is symptomatic of broader governance failures rather than the actions of individual activists. He accused the state of appearing willing to "turn its vast power on law-abiding citizens" who advocate for their communities, while allegedly neglecting criminal activity.
According to ActionSA, the challenges at Addington Primary, in South Beach, Durban, reflect deeper systemic issues, including border security and the enforcement of immigration laws, which the party says have placed increasing pressure on public services such as education, healthcare, housing and community safety.
Protesters outside Addington Primary School, in South Beach, Durban, last week. There has been growing criticism of the protest action outside the school over the enrolment of foreign nationals. ActionSA and Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) have thrown their weight behind anti-illegal migration movement March and March founder, Jacinta Ngobese Zuma who handed herself over to the Point police earlier this week after her organisation was charged with incitement of violence.
Image: DOCTOR NGCOBO Independent Newspapers
Access to Education
The party called for urgent intervention from the KwaZulu-Natal Premier and the provincial MEC for Education, criticising what it described as their silence on the matter.
Mncwango insisted that South African children must be enrolled at the school without delay and should not be denied access to basic education. ActionSA further contended that the situation should not be viewed as hostility toward migrants but rather as a demand for “lawful, humane and properly managed governance” that prioritises the rights of citizens.
The party also urged the South African Police Service to focus its efforts on serious criminal offences, including organised crime and drug trafficking, instead of targeting community activists.
Mncwango concluded by reaffirming ActionSA’s support for Ngobese Zuma and other community members advocating for accountability, stating that "silencing citizens will not fix state failure".
Labour and Civic Organisation
The president of LACO Mlungisi Zondi said what is happening to Ngobese Zuma is a clear sign of intimidation and targeting against all those who are fighting for justice in South Africa.
The organisation was at Addington Primary School on Wednesday as a show of support to anti-illegal migration movement, March and March, which was founded by Ngobese Zuma last year. Earlier this week, March and March, Operation Dudula and uMkhonto weSizwe Party were charged with incitement of violence by the Point SAPS in Durban over the continued protest at the South Beach school.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka says the protesters at Addington Primary School are taking action based on misinformation and unverified data around the placement issue at the school. Hlomuka also called out the protesters for traumatising learners and the staff at the school and rejected that the department was prioritising foreign national learners over South African schoolchildren.
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Education MEC Clarifies
On Thursday, Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka was at Addington Primary for a briefing where he condemned the protest action at the school, accusing organisers of submitting unverified learner lists while disrupting learning and traumatising staff and learners.
The MEC rejected claims that the school prioritised schoolchildren of foreign nationals in its placement policy. The MEC claimed March and March submitted a list of 66 learners to be placed at the school despite the factual errors.
"Out of that 66, five of the learners that were brought here from that list were already past Grade 7 to Grade 9," said Hlomuka, adding that the protests were being driven by misinformation rather than facts.
"I am just demonstrating that we are dealing with people who don't verify information, who just engage on things that they want to do," said the MEC.
He said the school has enrolled 17 undocumented learners and the majority of them are South Africans, while only five were of foreign nationals.