KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has been accused of pressuring Vuma FM to terminate radio presenter and activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, allegedly over her involvement in the March in March movement, which campaigns against illegal immigration.
According to Sunday World, multiple sources claim Simelane threatened to pull government advertising from the station unless Ngobese-Zuma was fired.
The activist presenter was abruptly dismissed on July 15, 2025, reportedly without a disciplinary hearing or explanation.
A senior source at Vuma FM told the publication that the station was left with no choice due to its financial dependence on government-funded advertising.
Ngobese-Zuma had recently led a protest at Durban’s Addington Hospital, drawing both support and backlash over the movement’s stance on undocumented foreign nationals accessing public healthcare.
Simelane’s spokesperson, Ntokozo Maphisa, has dismissed the allegations as baseless, insisting the department remains focused on public health priorities. Vuma FM has yet to release an official statement, though a spokesperson said one is forthcoming.