Former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party says discussions are ongoing with the anti-migrant organisation March and March, as parties position themselves on immigration ahead of next year’s local polls.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/Independent Media
Former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has confirmed it is in talks with anti-migrant group March and March, but says no formal partnership has been agreed ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
The party’s national spokesperson, Sifiso Mahlangu, made the remarks on the sidelines of the South African Communist Party (SACP)’s “Conference of the Left” on Friday.
The three-day conference is being held in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
The MK Party confirmed it has been engaging with March and March. However, it said it has not formally endorsed the organisation, although it believes there is a need for such movements to exist.
“On March and March, our chairperson, Nathi Nhleko, met with the leadership of March and March, as you know,” Mahlangu said.
He said they will continue to engage with the group.
Mahlangu said discussions between the two formations were ongoing.
“It’s a meeting, as the DSG says, that will continue in the weeks to come. We recognise the work that March and March is doing,” he said.
“Your questions are: will we join March and March? But you never asked us: will March and March join us? Because we’re also a big party of the official opposition.”
He said the party was keeping its options open.
“So we’re in conversation with them. We’re not going to close any doors. We recognise the space that March and March exists in.
“We, however, have not officially partnered with them. But the doors are still open. We are in talks and we are in conversations.”
The MK Party is among several political parties seen participating in March and March-led campaigns against undocumented foreign nationals.
Critics say a potential partnership ahead of the November local government elections could provide the MK Party with a significant political boost.
Should the relationship between the two groups be formalised, the MK Party could tap into a growing support base, particularly as March and March has developed a strong following in the party’s KwaZulu-Natal stronghold.
Mahlangu also condemned attacks directed at Jacinda Ngobese-Zuma.
“What we must also condemn are the attacks that Jacinda Ngobese-Zuma faces and things like that,” he said.
He added that the party would host a media briefing on Sunday to address several issues.
The developments come amid growing concerns over the safety and wellbeing of foreign nationals as tensions linked to anti-illegal immigration demonstrations escalate.
Many migrants travelled to South Africa in search of better opportunities. Instead, some say they are living in fear amid rising hostility.
Protests targeting undocumented migrants have intensified across the country, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Protesters claim undocumented migrants are taking jobs meant for South Africans, placing pressure on healthcare services and schools, and failing to contribute to the economy through taxes.
Despite repeated calls for calm from the government, demonstrations have continued to escalate.
March and March, which has led demonstrations across the country, has threatened a national shutdown on June 30 if the government fails to meet its demands.
The group is calling for stricter visa regulations, a review of asylum policies, action against businesses employing undocumented migrants, accountability for corrupt police officers and restrictions on public services for undocumented migrants.
On Tuesday, the government called for calm following high-level talks on rising protests over undocumented migration.
However, March and March said it would proceed with its planned nationwide shutdown.
IOL News previously reported that political analysts and immigration experts warned immigration had become a politically sensitive issue ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
ActionSA, Patriotic Alliance and Inkatha Freedom Party are among the parties that have become increasingly vocal on immigration issues.
Immigration expert Craig Smith previously said anti-immigrant sentiment had become part of electioneering ahead of the local government elections.
“It’s a hot potato among political parties and is often used ignorantly, in that many of the people who espouse anti-foreign sentiment are none the wiser in terms of what makes them illegal,” Smith said.
“And sadly, their words may result in criminal conduct and need to be considered very carefully.”
The MK Party has confirmed talks with March and March but says no formal partnership has been agreed, amid growing political focus on undocumented migration and escalating protests nationwide.
Image: AFP
Smith criticised marches targeting undocumented migrants, describing them as xenophobic.
“It clearly fringes on a criminal offence under the Riotous Assemblies Act. It is also very close to the common-law offence of incitement to violence,” he said.
“It is not as if we have never had deaths resulting from anti-immigrant protest action.”
Immigration expert Loren Landau from Wits University said anti-outsider rhetoric had become a central feature of South African politics.
“Once at the fringe of the mainstream, it has now become a central - if not the central - tenet of contemporary politics,” Landau said.
“It reflects the ideological bankruptcy of national politics, which has left many people without prospects of a better life.”
He said politicians increasingly relied on scapegoating foreign nationals rather than presenting concrete policy solutions.
“For local leaders - the only people directly elected in the country - they are under immense pressure to take action of some kind,” Landau said.
“Anti-immigrant threats are popular and, with the local government elections just months away, can help enlist support that might otherwise be absent.”
Landau added that anti-outsider rhetoric typically intensifies during local political contests.
“With these likely to be the most open local government elections in the country’s history, people are fighting hard for office,” he said.
“With few other tools at their disposal, promises to rid the country of foreign ‘demons’ are only likely to intensify.”
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