Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, the leader of March and March, an anti-illegal immigration movement that triggered ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa, says the crackdown on African migrants is because South Africa cannot continue to carry the burden of “failed” and “useless African presidents”.

Mrs Ngobese-Zuma, in an interview on Sunday, said South Africa could not continue to house immigrants from other African countries with “failed and useless presidents and politicians”.

“We are offering these Malawians this opportunity to use South Africa to voice out their concerns to their own government. That’s the only way Africa will survive. Otherwise, South Africa will be carrying the burden of every single failed and useless African president and politician,” Ms Ngobese-Zuma said. “We can’t have that because we also deserve good things in our country. We cannot solve every single country’s problem. It is not practical.”

Ms Ngobese-Zuma said asylum seekers and refugees should be kept in camps and be catered for by the South African government, but not integrated into local communities where they become a burden on their host communities, “where there is a shortage of schools, hospitals, medicine and hospital beds”.

Dismissing criticisms that her campaign sparked xenophobic attacks, Ms Ngobese-Zuma said, “It is easy for us to be a scapegoat because we are the ones on the forefront speaking out on the issues. Anyone who chooses to make us the picture of xenophobia already has a perfect picture – that’s Jacinta. I don’t remember once advocating for violence. All we’ve said is that there is law in the country and it should be enforced.”

Waves of unabated xenophobic attacks have led to the deaths of five Mozambicans and Ethiopians, respectively, at Mossel Bay, while many others have fled for their lives, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s caution that citizens have no power to harass and arrest African immigrants.

Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and other African countries have commenced the evacuation of their citizens from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organisation, in a statement on X on Sunday, condemned the raging xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

“To see South Africa turn to xenophobia is a tragic betrayal of the country’s struggle for independence and freedom. African nations stood united to dismantle apartheid. Ethiopia proudly supported Madiba, Nelson Mandela, in 1962 and issued him a passport so he could travel the continent. Other countries helped in many ways, including with political and financial support,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.