New ‘AfriForum for blacks’ being built in South Africa

Anti-illegal immigration group March and March says it wants to emulate Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum, and build schools and facilities funded by its members.

The group, which was established in 2025 to march against illegal foreign nationals in the country, has shown strong growth, drawing thousands of protesters to the streets under its banner.

It has now announced the establishment of the SA First Forum, a new litigation organisation, and the March and March Foundation, a humanitarian nonprofit organisation, similar to other lobby groups.

March and March has gained popularity in recent months due to its protests against illegal immigration. 

However, unlike Operation Dudula, which also became known for its anti-illegal-immigration demonstrations, March and March has no desire to become a political party. 

Instead, it aims to establish itself as an “AfriForum for black South Africans.” 

The leader of March and March, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, noted public pressure for the organisation to register as a political party.

“People still feel bound to political parties, so they believe that if March and March become a political party, they will be better represented,” she said.

“Personally, I don’t feel that way; I don’t feel we will do them much justice,” she said, adding that it wants to emulate the Afrikaner lobby group, AfriForum.

“We are hoping we are going to create a model where South Africans are able to create something like an AfriForum, where, eventually, we get to build our own schools and do our proudly South African things.”

The movement stated that all its initiatives are funded by everyday South Africans.

This has been challenged by some prominent commentators, such as former President Thabo Mbeki, who has alleged that there is ‘hidden money’ behind the group.

Speaking in an NDR seminar, Mbeki warned that the anti-foreigner protest plays into the hands of “hidden powers”.

“This mobilisation against so-called undocumented Africans—comrade [Zwelinzima Vavi] was correct: there’s money behind it, there’s purpose behind it, it’s organised. It’s not spontaneous,” he said.

“It doesn’t come from the masses of the people. It comes from somebody who wants to mobilise.”

The group holding national shutdowns

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has threatened further protests and shutdowns in South Africa.

Speaking to protesters in Zulu at the last mass protest on 30 June, Ngobese-Zuma said that the demonstrations held that day were not a national shutdown but rather the beginning of a months-long campaign.

While the government had expressed concern about the possibility of a national shutdown occurring on 30 June, Ngobese-Zuma emphasised that this was not the intention for that day.

However, she indicated that March and March would initiate weekly protests over the next three months. If the government fails to respond, she warned, “then there will be a shutdown.”

Ngobese-Zuma described the anticipated national shutdown as a situation “where nothing will move”, suggesting that the three months of protests are a way for the movement to “ask the government nicely, while we are still asking.”

Tensions against illegal immigrants in South Africa have been rising over the past year, largely driven by protest groups like March and March. 

Ngobese-Zuma founded the group—originally named “March in March”—in March 2025, evolving from a single anti-immigration protest.

Since its inception, thousands of protesters have participated in over 100 demonstrations under its banner. 

The group’s anti-immigrant stance has culminated in a demand for all illegal immigrants to leave South Africa by June 30, 2026.

The protesting groups have positioned themselves as being against illegal immigrants only, saying that it is not about xenophobia.

It has laid the blame for several social ills, including high levels of crime and unemployment, at the feet of illegal immigrants. The protests are now centred on getting undocumented foreigners to leave the country.

Protesters have been demanding an increase in the number of immigration officers to enhance the enforcement of the country’s immigration laws.

March and March have also submitted a series of demands to the authorities, which include stricter border controls and the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.

“If they [authorities] can force them to pay for their way back home, it will ensure that they don’t keep coming back,” said Ngobese-Zuma.

Foreign nationals, in turn, have accused members of March and March of intimidation and forcibly removing individuals from their homes. 

However, Ngobese-Zuma defended the organisation’s position, arguing that undocumented migrants must adhere to South African law.