Ngobese-Zuma questions R600m policing cost ahead of South Africa 30 June protests

Ngobese-Zuma questions R600m policing cost ahead of South Africa 30 June protests

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Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of South Africa’s March and March movement, has criticised the South African government over the reported use of R600 million for policing linked to planned protests on 30 June, arguing the spending shows police have the resources to address undocumented immigration and border security.

Acting Police Minister Mr Firoz Cachalia said the funds were moved from the South African Police Service (SAPS) budget to ensure officers were ready for the planned demonstrations.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ms Ngobese-Zuma said the allocation suggested police had both the capacity and money to act in other areas. “I mean, if they’ve got so much money to spend on fighting March and March, surely they’ve got enough to fight illegal immigration themselves,” she said.

She added: “They need to do their job and do it fully. You can’t decide when you’re doing your job and when you’re not going to do your job.”

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Ms Ngobese-Zuma called on authorities to use resources “going forward to protect the citizens of the country against people who are in the country illegally”, particularly at borders.

The issue has drawn responses from opposition leaders as well. Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mr Geordin Hill-Lewis said threats of violence and anarchy have no place in a constitutional democracy, and that the law must be enforced by the state rather than “mobs, vigilantes, or politicians who stir up hatred to win votes”.

Mr Hill-Lewis said no person or group has the authority to set deadlines for who can live in South Africa, and warned against attempts to demand identification documents in public spaces.

March and March, along with a coalition of civic groups, has set 30 June as a deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa, describing it as a date for “self-deportation”. The group has called for a national shutdown and demonstrations to push the government towards mass deportations.

While organisers have described the planned action as peaceful, the deadline has heightened fear in immigrant communities and has been linked in the report to targeted evictions, sporadic violence and displacement.

The report also states that some March and March members and affiliates have been stopping people in the street to demand passports and identity documents. It notes that, under South African law, private citizens do not have the power to demand identification, check passports or search other people, and that such powers are reserved for official law enforcement and Department of Home Affairs officers.

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