By Celani Sikhakhane
- KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli convened a provincial immigration summit in Durban on Wednesday, where he met the leaders of the groups planning the June 30 protests.
- Ntuli warned March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Insizwa Nobunsizwa leader Phakel’umthakathi directly against allowing public frustration to turn into violence or vigilantism.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli did not wait for 30 June to arrive. Five days before the deadline, he sat down with the people who set it.
Ntuli convened a Provincial Summit on Undocumented Foreign Nationals in Durban on Thursday, 25 June.
Among those in the room were SAPS top brass, several government departments, civic organisations — and March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Insizwa Nobunsizwa leader Phakel’umthakathi.
The March and March movement has confirmed it will go ahead with nationwide protests on Tuesday, 30 June, the date it set as a deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa. The movement has pushed back against the term “shutdown”, saying the action is a protest, not a work stoppage.
The movement was founded in Durban by Ngobese-Zuma, a former Vuma FM presenter, in March 2025 and has since staged protests across the country.
Ntuli used Wednesday’s summit to warn the two leaders directly against letting public frustration spill into violence, xenophobia or vigilantism ahead of the protests. He welcomed their assurances that any mobilisation on 30 June would be peaceful and within the law.
“Our challenge is not a rejection of fellow Africans or foreign nationals,” Ntuli said.
“Our challenge is how to manage migration in a manner that is lawful, humane, orderly and sustainable.”
He told delegates the summit was not about slogans or political posturing. It was about building practical solutions rooted in law and evidence. He said South Africans have the right to demand that the law be enforced, but they can do so without abandoning human dignity.
Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia has confirmed that R600-million, ordinarily allocated to police stations and community policing, has been redirected to security operations for the planned 30 June protests.
Ntuli said KZN’s response to migration must remain grounded in international law, regional cooperation and the Constitution — while also responding honestly to the pressure undocumented migration places on communities, public services and local jobs.
Pictured above: Members of the SAPS and other organisations at the KwaZulu-Natal immigration summit in Durban on 25 June 2026.
Image source: KZN Office of the Premier
