March and March: The populist tactics fueling SA’s anti-migrant protests

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Apr 29, 2026 · 525 words · By Ferial Haffajee

Political instability in South Africa Anti-Migrant Sentiment Civil society manipulation

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What to know about Political instability in South Africa

Suddenly, March and March, the anti-migrant organisation, is everywhere – marching across major cities, this week in Tshwane and Johannesburg.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Suddenly, March and March, the anti-migrant organisation, is everywhere – marching across major cities, this week in Tshwane and Johannesburg.

Why it matters

March and March’s website makes it appear as a legitimate civil society organisation, and it describes itself as a civic organisation.

Common ground

It uses the symbolism and movement-building of South Africa’s civic sector with T-shirts, marches and campaigns featured on its website.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Doubt: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Political instability in South Africa story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that March and March... is a founder-led non-government organisation with Jacinda Ngobese-Zuma as the main actor?
How does this story connect Political instability in South Africa with Anti-Migrant Sentiment over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-marching-against-migration-th…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Doubt 80% confidence

Questioning the credibility of a source or claim without providing evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing doubt helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 1

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Claim 1: “March and March... is a founder-led non-government organisation with Jacinda Ngobese-Zuma as the main actor.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (The Namibian, Explain, and a citizen advocacy site) confirm that March and March is a movement/NGO founded and led by Jacinda/Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma.

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web search NEUTRAL — March & March is a citizen-led movement advocating for stronger immigration enforcement and protecting opportunities for South African citizens.
https://marchandmarch.org.za/

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web search NEUTRAL — The March and March movement was founded in March 2025 in Durban by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, a former Vuma FM presenter and civic activist. It presents itself as a citizen-led campaign focused mainly on …
https://explain.co.za/2026/05/01/the-rise-of-march-and-march…

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web search NEUTRAL — March and March, a name which suggests rolling mass action, is a founder-led non-government organisation with Jacinda Ngobese-Zuma as the main actor. The website makes this clear.
https://www.namibian.com.na/marching-against-migration-the-r…

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Claim 2: “Ngizwe Mchunu... was charged for incitement after the 2021 July riots, but was later acquitted.”

CORROBORATED

News24 and Ziyakhala both explicitly report that Ngizwe Mchunu was charged with inciting public violence following the July 2021 unrest and was subsequently acquitted by the Randburg Magistrate's Court.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Randburg Magistrate's Court has found former Ukhozi FM radio personality Ngizwe Mchunu not guilty of charges of inciting public violence, which stemmed from the July 2021 unrest in parts of the co…
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/july-unrest-n…

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web search NEUTRAL — Former Ukhozi FM DJ Ngizwe Mchunu, who was charged for his alleged instigation of the July 2021 unrest, is a free man.
https://www.jacarandafm.com/news/news/ngizwe-mchunu-acquitte…

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web search NEUTRAL — Our reporter Maageketla Mohlabe is at Randburg Magistrates' Court where former radio DJ Ngizwe Mchunu, is expected to apply for bail...Let's cross to him for...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24WjMVmCA6A

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Claim 3: “In KuGompo on 1 April, March and March was a leading participant in violent protests against the performative coronation of a so-called Igbo King.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding protests in KuGompo on April 1 or an Igbo King's coronation.

info

Claim 4: “Yossabel Chetty, a researcher at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Information Integrity in Africa at its Department of Journalism, first picked up on March and March in her analysis in 2025.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results provided for this claim are irrelevant (discussing Indian economic history) and do not mention Yossabel Chetty or Stellenbosch University.

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web search NEUTRAL — अगले 1500 वर्षों में भारत में राष्ट्रकूट, होयसल और पश्चिमी गंग जैसे प्रतिष्ठित सभ्यताओं का विकास हुआ। इस अवधि के दौरान भारत को प्राचीन ...
https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/भारत_का_आर्थिक_इतिहास

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 26, 2025 · प्राचीन भारत के आर्थिक इतिहास लेखन में हाल के वर्षों में महत्वपूर्ण बदलाव आए हैं। पुरातात्विक खोजों, बहु-विषयक दृष्टिकोण, डिजिटल ...
https://www.premnathbismil.com/2025/03/latest-trends-in-writ…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 27, 2025 · प्राचीन भारत का इतिहास बहुत विशाल और विविधता से भरा हुआ है। यह वह काल है जब मानव जीवन ने धीरे-धीरे सभ्यता का रूप लिया, समाज का निर्माण ...
https://inhistory.in/भारत-का-इतिहास-प्राचीन-भा/

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Claim 5: “This week’s numbers in big capital cities like Tshwane and Johannesburg were between 300 and 500 people, according to reports.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “A BackaBuddy crowdsourced funding campaign has collected R13,167 towards a goal of R20,000 in six months”

SINGLE SOURCE

While BackaBuddy is a real platform and other campaigns (like Guild Cottage) are mentioned in the search results, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming the exact amount (R13,167) raised by March and March.

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web search NEUTRAL — On 3 March 2025, Guild Cottage NPO launched its second crowdfunding campaign through BackaBuddy; Save Guild Cottage. The campaign follows a successful effort in 2024 that raised R20,817.84 from 28 don…
https://news.backabuddy.co.za/2025/10/15/save-guild-cottage-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Feenix raised R167.6 million and has impacted 3 803 students since its inception. In 2022, Feenix raised R48.7 million, assisting 1 006 students across South Africa’s 26 public universities.
https://africanngos.org/2024/12/04/crowdfunding-and-npos-in-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Since launching in 2015, BackaBuddy has helped raise more than R630 million for over 44,000 campaigns — powered by a caring community of over 650,000 donors in South Africa and around the world. How B…
https://rwrant.co.za/backabuddy-over-r12-million-saved-good-…

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Claim 7: “March and March has recently been supported by another anti-migrant group, Amabhinca Nation, led by former Ukhozi FM host Ngizwe Mchunu”

CORROBORATED

Both The Namibian and GroundUp report that the anti-immigrant group Amabhinca Nation, led by Ngizwe Mchunu, has supported or joined March and March.

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web search NEUTRAL — March and March has recently been supported by another anti-migrant group, Amabhinca Nation, led by former Ukhozi FM host Ngizwe Mchunu, who was charged for incitement after the 2021 July riots, but w…
https://www.namibian.com.na/marching-against-migration-the-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — March and March have also been joined by another anti-immigrant group called Amabhinca Nation led by Ngizwe Mchunu.The group will continue the campaign with March and March until 27 April, when they w…
https://groundup.org.za/article/durban-organisations-come-to…

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Claim 8: “ActionSA joined the protests [in KuGompo on 1 April].”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding ActionSA's participation in protests in KuGompo on April 1.

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Claim 9: “March and March’s first big protest was in Durban, when the eight-year-old twins Aphelele and Aphile Dlamini fell down an unsecured lift shaft at the Homii Lifestyle apartments in 2025.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided search results for this claim are generic definitions of the month of March and do not contain information about the Dlamini twins or the Homii Lifestyle apartments.

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web search NEUTRAL — March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/March

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web search NEUTRAL — Stretching like an emerald ribbon along Spain’s Atlantic coast, this area is known for pasture-raised meats, dairy, legumes, fish, and long-simmered stews that warm a damp climate.
https://www.marchrestaurant.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — March is named for Mars, the Roman god of war—but today it marks the turning of the seasons. Discover March holidays, seasonal signs, gardening advice, recipes, and folklore.
https://www.almanac.com/content/month-march-holidays-fun-fac…

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Claim 10: “Ngobese-Zuma worked in radio in Durban, first at Gagasi FM and later at Vuma FM”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Casts, YouTube, and a profile on Ngobese-Zuma) confirm she worked at Gagasi FM and Vuma FM in Durban.

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web search NEUTRAL — She has worked as a presenter at Vibe 94.7 FM, Inanda FM, and Gagasi FM.Ngobese started at a campus radio station after attending an audition and was selected. In 2009, she moved to Vibe 94.7 FM, base…
https://www.casts.co.za/bio/jacinta-ngobese-zuma-biography/

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web search NEUTRAL — Radio presenter and Activist Jacinta Ngobese Zuma fired from radio at Vuma Fm#jacintangobesezuma#jacinta#radiopresenter#radioshow#marchinmarch#activist#cele...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOfwvOhHMSg

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web search NEUTRAL — Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma is a radio presenter based in Durban and is best known for hosting “The Cruise” on Vuma FM. She is reported to have worked at multiple radio stations in South Africa, including Vi…
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Meet-Ngob…

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Claim 11: “March and March, the anti-migrant organisation, is everywhere – marching across major cities, this week in Tshwane and Johannesburg.”

CORROBORATED

The claim that March and March is an anti-migrant organization marching in Tshwane and Johannesburg is reported by The Namibian and supported by general reports of anti-immigration marches in Johannesburg.

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web search NEUTRAL — Main article: Johannesburg City Parks.An aerial photograph of summer rain clouds over Johannesburg. The city's climate experiences regular daily thunderstorms from November to March in the afternoons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg

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web search NEUTRAL — Suddenly, March and March, the anti-migrant organisation, is everywhere – marching across major cities, this week in Tshwane and Johannesburg. Who are they, and what does the name mean?
https://www.namibian.com.na/marching-against-migration-the-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — Another march is due on Wednesday in Johannesburg. Anti-migrant sentiment has gained political currency in recent years with some believing foreigners are taking jobs and unfairly benefiting from publ…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7v9572ne0lo

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.