- March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma addressed a large crowd outside the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre in Durban
- Ngobese-Zuma accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of ignoring their grievances for 21 months while deploying soldiers against them
- The March and March leader also criticised the South African President, comparing him to his Zimbabwean counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
KWAZULU-NATAL — March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma publicly compared President Cyril Ramaphosa to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa during a protest in Durban on 27 October 2026.
The demonstration took place outside the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road in the Berea area, with protesters later marching towards Berea Police Station in Musgrave. Scooter riders who had initially taken to the streets in protest were joined by members of March and March, swelling the crowd significantly.
Ngobese-Zuma attacks Ramaphosa's silence
Addressing protesters through a megaphone, Ngobese-Zuma drew a pointed comparison between the current government and the apartheid era.
"We have gone back in time; it's like we are back in 1986. The apartheid-era government is still here," she told the crowd.
She directed sharp criticism at the president for his failure to engage with demonstrators since their first march 21 months ago.
"Not once has Cyril come out to see us. Not once! Instead of that, they'd rather go do theatricals and summon the likes of Ngizwe," she said, as the crowd responded with repeated affirmations.
During the day's demonstrations, protesters expressed frustration with police stations they claim refuse to assist community members reporting crimes allegedly committed by foreign nationals.
Ngobese-Zuma alleged that case dockets opened at police stations frequently go nowhere, and that some community members have been physically assaulted. The deployment of both the army and police officers to the area drew strong condemnation from the crowd, with Ngobese-Zuma framing it as evidence of a government more willing to suppress its own citizens than address their concerns.
Ngobese-Zuma criticises Ramaphosa
Briefly News also reported that Ngobese-Zuma took to X (formerly Twitter) to publicly criticise President Ramaphosa.
The March and March leader took issue with the way he handled certain matters, like the Ekurhuleni murders.
The post drew divided reactions from South Africans debating the president's handling of the immigration crisis.
Source: Briefly News
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