March and March Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese has reacted to a case involving a man accused of threatening to kill a woman after she allegedly rejected his romantic advances.
Ngobese said she was quickly tagged in posts about the incident because of her outspoken views on crime, immigration and the treatment of women in South Africa.
She argued that she has never claimed South Africans do not commit crimes, but said the issue of foreign nationals accused of criminal offences remains part of the broader debate she wants to see addressed.
“The confusing part is I have never said South Africans don’t commit crimes but we will never get rid of Crime if we are now exporting foreign criminals who are also thriving now in this lawless country,” Ngobese said.
However, she said the main focus of her post was the alleged threats against the woman rather than the nationality of the accused.
Ngobese said the man had subsequently been identified as a Zimbabwean national and that she intended to follow the matter closely.
“But that’s not the point of this post, the post is that this man has been uncovered and he is a Zimbabwean,” she wrote.
She questioned what she described as the boldness required for someone to allegedly make threats of violence against a woman in a country where he is not a citizen.
Ngobese also argued that fear of being labelled xenophobic has contributed to people being reluctant to speak openly about crimes allegedly committed by foreign nationals.
“But it’s because this has been going on for so long while people live in fear of standing up for themselves because they will be labelled as Xenophobic,” she said.
Her comments come amid wider public debates in South Africa about gender-based violence, crime and immigration, with activists and political groups frequently disagreeing over how these issues should be discussed.
The allegation against the man should, however, be distinguished from his nationality. Being Zimbabwean does not establish that he committed an offence, and claims surrounding the case ultimately need to be determined through the appropriate investigation and legal process.
South African authorities have dealt with a number of cases involving foreign nationals accused of serious offences, but individual cases do not establish that criminal behaviour is representative of an entire nationality.
For Ngobese, the latest incident has nevertheless become another example she says deserves close attention.
She indicated that she would continue following the matter, particularly because of the nature of the alleged threats and the concerns raised by the woman involved.
The case has therefore added another layer to ongoing conversations about women’s safety, crime and immigration in South Africa.