South Africa: March and March and Afriforum Team Up Sparks Outrage

Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
A small group of people gathered on the steps of St George's Cathedral in Cape Town for a counter-protest to March and March, who organised anti-immigrant demonstrations across South Africa.
19 August 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Celani Sikhakhane
  • March and March and AfriForum met on Tuesday and agreed to form a working group on community safety, education, crime and illegal immigration.
  • The collaboration has drawn criticism online, with some accusing March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma of working with "the enemy."

March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has defended her decision to work with AfriForum, after the announcement sparked backlash on social media.

Ngobese-Zuma led a delegation that met with AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel and his team on Tuesday. The two organisations agreed to form a collaborative working group focused on community safety, education, crime, border control and illegal immigration. They also agreed to jointly pursue legal matters of mutual interest.

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Ngobese-Zuma said the organisations have every right to work with anyone willing to help improve the lives of people in the country.

"There's nothing wrong with meeting AfriForum. We meet with everyone who has a vision for this country and our community, irrespective of colour. We meet with anyone who is in this country legally and who wants to work for the development of our communities. We have seen the work of AfriForum in their communities, and we want them to work with us. We also made it clear that working with them does not mean we will agree on everything," Ngobese-Zuma said.

The collaboration has drawn criticism, with some accusing Ngobese-Zuma of working with "the enemy" and betraying the interests of black South Africans, while others have welcomed the partnership as two organisations working to fix problems at community level.

In a statement, AfriForum said the meeting focused on shared challenges and possible areas of cooperation, including community organisation, capacity-building, mother-tongue education and the promotion of peaceful coexistence.

Kriel said AfriForum was willing to share what has worked, and what hasn't, from its own growth into an organisation of around 300,000 members over the past 20 years.

"We cannot allow differences on specific matters to stand in the way of cooperation that would benefit our children," he said.

Ngobese-Zuma said March and March's founding values are rooted in universal human rights for all South Africans, with education as a cornerstone of the nation's success, and that systems must be created to hold the government accountable and uphold the rule of law.

The meeting is the second high-profile engagement AfriForum has held with a black-led political movement this year, following a similar meeting between Kriel and MK Party leader Jacob Zuma earlier in 2026.

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