The uMkhonto weSizwe Party is fully behind the March and March movement, which has been calling for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo says.
March and March has given undocumented foreigners until 30 June to leave the country. If they fail to do so, the organisation plans to hold a national shutdown in a bid to send them back to their countries of origin.
In a media briefing on Thursday, Nomvalo told journalists that undocumented foreigners have taken over parts of towns and cities and reduced them to centres of crime.
“There are areas which have been surrendered by South Africans because of illegal immigrants. Our understanding is that March and March are not fighting legal immigrants. They are fighting against people who have broken the law. If you are called an illegal immigrant, it means you have broken the law because you are here illegally,” he said.
Nomvalo said the state found it difficult to trace undocumented foreigners when they had committed crimes in South Africa. He accused undocumented foreigners of establishing drug cartels and criminal syndicates.
“If you come here with good intentions, why don’t you register with Home Affairs? What are you hiding? It means your coming here is not done in good faith; it is done in bad faith. We sympathise with the struggle of March and March, unapologetically so, because we believe they stand for the correct cause, which the MK Party also supports in its stance against illegal immigration.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters, among several other political parties and civic movements, have accused March and March of being a xenophobic movement, with some claiming it violates human rights.
Some political parties, including ActionSA, have, however, commended March and March for what they describe as bravery in calling for undocumented foreigners to leave the country.
“Protesting in this country is constitutional and I’ve never heard of March and March organising illegal protests. If crimes are committed during their protests, that is not our baby; it’s the baby of the police.”
Meanwhile, the MK Party has announced that it will reveal its mayoral candidates next week.
However, questions have arisen on whether the party’s candidates will remain in place until November, when the 2026 local government elections are set to take place, given the party’s reputation for frequently changing its leadership.
During the briefing, Nomvalo said the party should never be ashamed of enforcing discipline because failing to act against indiscipline would ultimately harm the MK Party.
“If I can tell you the things the party has tolerated for a very long time and the consequences thereof, you would be shocked. It is just that the party always chooses to be cordial. Our president is a gentleman. We simply dismiss people without embarrassing them by telling the whole world what they have done.
“At no stage does the party simply tell someone to go for no apparent reason. Decisions are informed and influenced by the material conditions.”
He said that if the party were to tolerate indiscipline for too long and fail to act, it would create permanent problems because members would be afraid of criticism and being labelled a party that kept changing its people.
“It’s not something we do because it’s on the calendar — that on the 4th of December we are changing this person or on the 2nd of January we are changing that person. It is triggered by the material conditions at that particular time. Each case is dealt with on its merits and in accordance with our constitutional principles.”
Nomvalo said the MK Party would select mayoral candidates through an informed and comprehensive process, rather than simply following popular opinion like Action SA did.
South Africans had surrendered certain areas because of illegal immigrants, party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo said
