Apartheid in Azania (South Africa) was supposed to end in 1994 with the country’s first multi-party elections that saw Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) swept to power. The ANC have won every election since but in the most recent one in 2024 they lost their majority and opted form a coalition with the centre-right Democratic Alliance party. (1) Their governance report card is far from impressive. The country remains “the most unequal country in the world,” where the top 10% of the population still capture roughly 70% of pre-tax income. (2) In spite of some (frequently inflammatory) reports to the contrary, the current land reform legislation has remained unchanged since the Apartheid era, 1975. Currently 72% of farms and agricultural holdings are owned by whites, who make up 7.3% of the population, while Afrikans, constituting 81.4% of the population, own only 4% of the land. (3)
Consequently, aside from a handful of elites that have amassed staggering amounts of wealth, the masses of Afrikans still exist in grinding poverty. Apportioning blame for this state of state of affairs ranges from the lunatic fringe ‘white genocide’ favoured by the apartheid rage babies (internally and externally) to and a lack of government will. Some have argued that the ANC have been on the wrong political trajectory since the adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955, committing the “original sin” of supplanting Pan-Afrikanism with the “Rainbow Nation.” (4)
However, it is through the lens of immigration – legal and illegal (terms that do require some contextualisation) that the issue is currently being mediated. In some respects this isn’t new. There was a first major flare-up in 2008 and subsequent ones in 2015, 2019 and 2021. According to Xenowatch. 703 lives killed in xenophobic incidents since the end of apartheid. (5) The current iteration seems more vociferous, more media savvy and more resourced and helmed by a movement called March and March, led by radio host Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma who rejects the ‘xenophobic’ tag stating their concern is with undocumented migrants in the country and effects on jobs, resources and crime, even though it’s unlikely that an undocumented migrant can determined on sight alone. Their most recent public relations coup was the June 30th demand for all undocumented migrants to leave the country that even had the government on the back foot. (6)
Yet critics say the movement is not just xenophobic but actively Afriphobic due to their targetting of only Afrikan migrants, whether documented or undocumented, giving non-Afrikan criminals (e.g. Serbian, Colombian, Italian, Israeli, Lebanese) free reign. March and March have tapped into a rich vein of anti-immigrant sentiment that has mushroomed globally, promulgated by white-nationalist politicians and social media influencers. This tendency has even scooped up some Afrikans, notably Black American delineation social media formations like ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) and FBA (Foundational Black Americans). They were nominally created with a reparations agenda around slogans like “cut the cheque” and “tangibles.” More recently, the reparations aspect has apparently been de-emphasised with a shift in focus from tangibles to “tethers” (i.e. non-American Afrikans in the USA). Now it is tethers and the Pan-Afrikan ideology itself that are the main focus of their ire, bound up in anti-immigrant rhetoric. (7)
The crossover with Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma can be seen in her recent social media posts excoriating Pan-Afrikanists for their “selective outrage” in calling out March and March while being muted on issues like Libya. In reality Pan-Afrikanists have never been silent about the 2011 NATO war on Libya (that South Africa, along with Nigeria and Gabon co-signed) that wrought havoc both inside Libya and as far away as the Sahel region. (8)
The crossover may have deeper roots in light of reports suggesting that far from being an organic outpouring of discontent, there are certain inimical external agents fomenting chaos in Azania for at least a decade like Rupert Murdock protoge billionaire and part of the Epstein class, Rob Hersov. (9) With regard to Ngobese-Zuma herself reports indicate that she was selected by the US Embassy to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) in September 2023. She described the trip as “life changing”. By March 2024 she started March and March. It is noteworthy that Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma’s pet project has had time to establish itself in time for the roll out of the U.S. Army’s roll out of Drongo Company, its psychological operations unit for the Afrikan continent will work through Africom on: “psychological operations “across contested environments” and support contingency operations on the continent.” (10)
Historically, anti-immigrant sentiments do surface from time to time (e.g. “Ghana Must Go”/“Nigeria Must Go”) but the level of venom seen is Azania has clearly damaged relations with the rest of the continent as it teeters towards becoming a continental pariah. (11) So far there are reports that nationals from Malawi and Nigeria have been killed. (12) As a result of this current wave of protests between 53,000 and 160,000 are said to have fled or been deported. It remains to be seen to what extent this will alleviate grievances. (13)
Seeing a way out for the crisis must be based on an accurate overstanding of what the real causes are, as well as the adoption of a bold vision of national transformation. Creative Entrepreneur, Social Changemaker, and Conversation Strategist, Lerai Rakoditsoe suggests that the country is still being haunted by the ghost of Pan-Afrikanist Congress of Azania (PAC) founder Mangoliso Sobukwe, whose call for an “uncompromising demand for the return of the land and the overthrow of white economic supremacy” has yet to be heeded. Otherwise “the African masses would be betrayed.” (14)
(1) Dr Alex Vines OBE (21/06/24) South Africa’s new coalition government heralds change for the region and its leaders. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/06/south-africas-new-coalition-government-heralds-change-region-and-its-leaders
(2)Léo Czajka & Amory Gethin (26/03/26) Thirty years of inequality and redistribution in post-Apartheid South Africa. https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/thirty-years-inequality-and-redistribution-post-apartheid
(3) Action for Southern Africa (19/02/25) The facts: land reform in South Africa. https://actsa.org/the-facts-land-reform-in-south-africa/
(4) Mesrob Vartavarian (19/04/24) Oligarchic dialectics: Power elites in contemporary South Africa. https://democracyinafrica.org/oligarchic-dialectics-power-elites-in-contemporary-south-africa/; Jozias Mahube-Reinecke (17/04/26) Charge AfriForum, Solidariteit over white ‘genocide’ hoax. https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2026-04-17-charge-afriforum-solidariteit-over-white-genocide-hoax/; Lerai Rakoditsoe (27/04/26) The Ghost of Robert Sobukwe: Xenophobia, the ‘Rainbow Nation’ Fracture, and South Africa’s Unresolved Identity Crisis. https://leraitalks.substack.com/p/the-ghost-of-robert-sobukwe-xenophobia
(5) Nesrine Malik (08/07/26) How did South Africa produce an anti-African movement? https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jul/08/how-did-south-africa-produce-an-anti-african-movement; Lola Hierro (26/06/26) A new wave of xenophobia is sweeping through South Africa, with migrants murdered, homes destroyed and thousands displaced. https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-06-26/a-new-wave-of-xenophobia-is-sweeping-through-south-africa-with-migrants-murdered-homes-destroyed-and-thousands-displaced.html
(6) Simon Majadibodu (09/07/26)‘We’re tired’: Jacinta hits back at xenophobia claims as she vows to continue marching. https://thestar.co.za/news/politics/2026-07-09-were-tired-jacinta-hits-back-at-xenophobia-claims-as-she-vows-to-continue-marching/
(7) Baba Amani Olubanjo Buntu (02/03/17) “Xenophobia in SA”: A brief attempt to explain what is going on in South Africa. https://drbababuntu.com/2017/03/03/explaining-xenophobia-in-south-africa-pambazuka-news/; Political Economist (27/06/26) The Smoking Gun: Evidence Points to US Involvement in Promoting Xenophobia in South Africa. https://politicaleconomist.substack.com/p/the-smoking-gun-evidence-points-to; Jacqueline Luqman (26/03/26) It Is Time To Reckon With The Reactionary Rantings of ADOS/FBA. https://www.blackagendareport.com/it-time-reckon-reactionary-rantings-adosfba; Neferkare T. Dessalines (12/06/26)
FBA Xenophobe Calls For Black Unity (REACTION). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAhVkSZos4A&t=95s
(8) Mbalenhle Butale (14/07/26) “Where Is the Outrage?”: Jacinta Ngobese Zuma Calls Out Silence Over African Slave Trade in Libya. https://briefly.co.za/world/africa/246579-outrage-jacinta-ngobese-zuma-calls-silence-african-slave-trade-libya/; Thomas Alberts (02/22/11) The African Union and Libya, on the horns of a dilemma. https://africanarguments.org/2011/11/the-african-union-and-libya-on-the-horns-of-a-dilemma-by-thomas-alberts/; Kribsoo Diallo & Essam Elkorghli (01/05/26) The Imperialist Attack on the Alliance of Sahel States 2.0. https://www.pambazuka.org/index.php/Imperialist-Attack-on-Sahel
(9) Political Economist (27/06/26) How the BBC deceived the world about xenophobia in South Africa. https://politicaleconomist.substack.com/p/how-the-bbc-deceived-the-world-about
(10) Political Economist (27/06/26), Op. Cit.; Nicholas Slayton (17/07/26) Army stands up new PSYOP Company focused on Africa. https://taskandpurpose.com/news/psyop-company-africa-command/
(11) Bra Stash (30/01/22) Ghana Must Go: The Untold Story Behind the Mass Deportation of Ghanaians from Nigeria in February 1983. https://www.ghpage.com/ghana-must-go-the-untold-story-behind-the-mass-deportation-of-ghanaians-from-nigeria-in-february-1983/218412/; Jonathan Awewomom (16/09/25) Nigeria Must Go? Or Ghana Must Wake Up? A Hard Look at Ghana’s Crisis and Our Shared Responsibilities. https://www.modernghana.com/news/1432724/nigeria-must-go-or-ghana-must-wake-up-a-hard.html; SAnews.gov.za (15/07/26) Presidency rejects claims South Africa is isolated from Africa. https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/presidency-rejects-claims-south-africa-isolated-africa; Leonard Solms (24/06/26) Is the rest of Africa really ‘hate-watching’ Bafana at the FIFA World Cup? https://www.espn.co.uk/espn/story/_/id/49070024/is-rest-africa-really-hate-watching-bafana-fifa-world-cup
(12) Hierro. Op. Cit. Makuochi Okafor (05/07/26) Nigeria says two nationals killed in South Africa amid rise of anti-migrant attacks. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj11lxwnn0o
(13) Associated Press (13/07/26) More than 53,000 immigrants have been deported or repatriated by South Africa in a crackdown. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/more-than-53000-immigrants-have-been-deported-or-repatriated-by-south-africa-in-a-crackdown; AFP (21/07/26) South Africa’s anti-migrant unrest led over 160,000 to flee. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260721-south-africa-s-anti-migrant-unrest-led-over-160-000-to-flee
(14) Rakoditsoe. Op cit
we ask the question:
What’s behind the turmoil in Azania?
1) Is the current situation an organic outpouring of discontent?
2) Is March & March part of a Psy-Op programme?
3) What should the government be doing resolve the crisis?
4) Does the ghost of Sobukwe still haunt Azania?
Our Special Guests:
Sis. Masello Motana: is a memory keeper, vocal historian, activist, linguist, performing artist and decolonial practitioner. She is the creator of the internationally renowned Vocal Museum and the historical reenactment performance series Brandy & Gunpowder. She is also the founder of Matlama, a protest theater collective that put up performances against police brutality on campuses in support of the Fees Must Fall movement. Her earlier public performance work was satirical nature with characters such as Cyrilina Ramaposer.
Sis. Motana has a wide experience as a performer across theater, television and film. She has also appeared in documentaries including as a commentator in Sifiso Khanyile’s film on the political transition in South Africa, A New Country. She was the first Artist In Residence at the University of Cologne’s Wissenchafts Science Forum and she has performed at the Berlin Bienale in 2018 and the Dakar Bienale in 2024, thereby improving the stability of communities and society.
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