‘Nothing Will Stop Us’: MaNgobese-Zuma Defies Public Violence Charge Over Addington School Protests

A case of inciting public violence has been opened at Point Police Station against March and March leader Jacinta MaNgobese-Zuma, as well as the Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and Operation Dudula.

The charge relates to protest action undertaken by MaNgobese-Zuma, MKP and Operation Dudula outside Durban’s Addington Primary School, particularly following violent scenes that erupted last Wednesday, during which parents were allegedly attacked.

March and March, together with the other organisations, had objected to what they claimed was a disproportionately high number of foreign pupils enrolled at Addington Primary, as well as allegations that South African pupils were turned away when seeking admission at the start of the new school year.

MaNgobese-Zuma said the charge would not deter her or the others from continuing to raise their objections regarding the situation at the school.

“No police statement, no police intimidation — nothing will take away our right to go and picket there and demand that South African children be placed in a South African school,” said MaNgobese-Zuma, who handed herself over at Point Police Station on Tuesday.

The station is located a few kilometres from Addington Primary School.

A large gathering of supporters assembled outside the police station when MaNgobese-Zuma surrendered herself to police, accompanied by her husband, Xolani Zuma, a lawyer, and the rest of her legal team.

Initially, there were widespread reports that MaNgobese-Zuma had been singled out for the charge. However, she later confirmed that both the MKP and Operation Dudula were also accused.

She said that upon realising the others were included, they decided to submit a comprehensive written statement.

“We decided to take time to write the statement on the protest that we had last week on Wednesday,” MaNgobese-Zuma said.

Since the reopening of schools, the organisation, together with MK party supporters and Operation Dudula, has held demonstrations outside Addington Primary on various days. They demanded admission for unregistered children who they said were South African by birth.

At one point, it was claimed that as many as 66 local children had been refused admission to the school.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has consistently maintained that South African pupils are in the majority at Addington Primary and that foreign nationals are not given preferential treatment.

When the violent scenes unfolded, police intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further.

MaNgobese-Zuma told the Daily News that the charge was unwarranted. She claimed protesters were antagonised by police and that a foreign national was responsible for triggering the chaos.

She also questioned the timing of the charge, arguing that police could have laid charges immediately on the day of the protest.

“Initially, I couldn’t figure out if we were going to be charged, the reasons, and why we were not charged on the day. There were plenty of police officers and plenty of police vans,” she said.

“If there was anything untoward that they felt was being done, surely we should have been charged on the day. When we asked for more information about the charge, we got nothing.”

“It means one of the police officers who was there on the day decided to open a case against us with no evidence, just a written statement,” she added.

Asked whether the charge would prevent her from joining further protest action at Addington Primary, MaNgobese-Zuma said picketing was a constitutional right.

“So they’ve (SAPS) done nothing really. I mean, I just feel like it was a day where we wasted a bit of time,” she said.

MaNgobese-Zuma also indicated that they planned to bring counter-charges against the state.

KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that a case of public violence had been opened against the accused.

Netshiunda denied allegations that police were heavy-handed during the protest on January 21.

“It is good that police do not investigate themselves. Anyone who feels that police were heavy-handed against them is advised to report the case to the IPID (Independent Police Investigative Directorate), which investigates police conduct,” he said.

ActionSA leader Zwelakhe Mncwango expressed concern over what he described as a troubling trend in South Africa, where individuals advocating for the rights of fellow citizens are increasingly viewed as enemies of the state.

He said the issue of illegal immigration had become highly contentious, and that South Africans were often labelled xenophobic for voicing their concerns, when the reality was more complex.

“We’re tired of illegal foreigners in our country,” Mncwango stated, adding that the fight was not against all foreign nationals, but specifically those who are undocumented and contributing to socio-economic challenges.

Mncwango said it was important to protect the rights of South African youths who are deprived of education due to circumstances created by the influx of illegal immigrants.

At the time of publication, no responses had been received from the MKP or Operation Dudula.

DAILY NEWS