March and March Movement says they won't be intimidated

On February 9, 2026 The controversial civic group March and March Movement convened a much-anticipated media briefing today in Durban, addressing the group’s recent activities, legal challenges and ongoing campaign over school placements and immigration policy.

Led by founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, the organisation used the briefing to push back against charges of public violence brought by the South African Police Service linked to protests at Addington Primary School earlier this year. Ngobese-Zuma said the charges are politically motivated and vowed to continue advocacy for what she described as “the rights of neglected South African children.” 

The protests began in January when March and March  alongside groups such as Operation Dudula and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party  demonstrated outside Addington Primary, demanding space for schoolchildren who had not been placed ahead of the 2026 academic year. Tensions quickly escalated, with clashes between protesters and some parents, and police deploying stun grenades and water cannons to restore order. 

Ngobese-Zuma emphasised at today’s briefing that the movement does not support violence, but insists it will keep pressing its concerns about school placements and broader issues such as illegal immigration and overstretched public services. “We are standing up for children denied access to education  this is not about xenophobia but fairness,” she said. 

In response to the protests, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education previously confirmed that all unplaced learners have now been accommodated and said that over 60 % of pupils enrolled at Addington are South African nationals countering allegations by March and March about foreign student prioritisation. Education officials also stressed that violence and intimidation have no place in schools and warned against further disruption. 

Legal proceedings remain unresolved. The movement’s leader has laid a counter-complaint against the police, alleging authorities failed to adequately protect protesters when an armed individual allegedly intervened during the protests. The National Prosecuting Authority has yet to decide whether to proceed with charges against Ngobese-Zuma. 

The March and March Movement, which has previously campaigned on issues including crime, drugs and illegal immigration, says it will intensify mobilisation if its concerns are not addressed by government authorities.