NPA denies arrest warrants for March and March leader, husband amid political pressure claims

October 15, 2026 33

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has dismissed reports that arrest warrants have been issued for March and March leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, and SA First Forum acting CEO, Xolani Zuma.

The authority has also denied receiving instructions from political parties, public office-bearers or anyone within the prosecutorial system regarding the couple’s alleged imminent arrest.

The denial follows claims that the pair would be arrested by Friday, with March and March alleging that the reported developments were no coincidence.

The anti-illegal immigration movement claimed it had known for three months that the executive committee of an unnamed political movement had discussed whether its leaders should be arrested before or after the Local Government Elections.

It further alleged that the arrests were initially planned for after the November elections but were brought forward because of growing public support for the movement and pressure from its nationwide marches.

“The movement had always known that this arrest was planned for just after the elections, but with recent pressure through our countrywide marches, the NPA is receiving undue political pressure to act immediately,” it said.

March and March has repeatedly criticised the government’s approach to irregular migration, arguing that it has failed to address the influx of foreign nationals into South Africa.

The movement’s protests intensified in June and recently gained renewed momentum following the Constitutional Court’s July controversial ruling in the Scalabrini Centre case, which found certain provisions of the Refugees Act unconstitutional and invalid.

Its members have also confronted foreign nationals at refugee centres and Home Affairs offices, particularly in Durban and Johannesburg, calling for the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.

The NPA, however, says it does not ordinarily comment on operational matters, including potential arrests and ongoing investigations, before the relevant law-enforcement processes have been completed.

It added that once a matter reaches court, the charges and reasons for prosecution would become clear through the normal judicial process.

“The NPA encourages people and organisations to desist from making unfounded allegations or comments which may misrepresent and undermine the criminal justice system,” the authority said.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Response to Allegations Made in the March and March Movement Statement https://t.co/FuEG28OaPH

— NPASouthAfrica (@NPA_Prosecutes) October 15, 2026

The controversy comes amid growing scrutiny of March and March’s conduct towards journalists covering the movement and its leadership.

Last week, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) called on the organisation and its supporters to stop intimidating and harassing journalists.

The intervention followed a social media post by Ngobese-Zuma featuring questions sent to her by News24 journalist, Khaya Koko, who was investigating allegations involving million-rand KwaZulu-Natal government contracts linked to Zuma’s law firm and XJ Family Enterprise. Ngobese-Zuma and Zuma are allegedly directors of the company.

Ngobese-Zuma posted a screenshot displaying Koko’s cellphone number, captioning it: “Look at this one trying to distract us with lies @news24. Go ahead and write whatever you like… Just make sure you prove it.”

SANEF says Koko subsequently received hundreds of threatening calls and messages. Although Ngobese-Zuma later edited the post and blurred the number, the forum condemned the exposure of the journalist’s personal information, saying it could trigger harassment and threats.

It described such conduct as deliberate doxing that risks intimidating journalists and undermining legitimate investigative reporting.