- Entertainment commentator Phil Mphela weighed in after an exposé on March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma appeared to have the opposite effect
- The report alleged that Jacinta and her husband Xolani Zuma benefited from government tenders while she publicly criticises the government
- Rather than damage her reputation, the article drew a wave of public support for Jacinta, with many South Africans rallying behind her cause
Source: Instagram
Entertainment commentator Phil Mphela stirred conversation on Sunday, 11 October 2026, after observing that a high-profile exposé on activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma had completely reversed course. Far from denting her credibility, the report appeared to be fuelling her support base. "They completely misread the room on this. She is multiplying," Mphela wrote on X.
Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma is the leader of the March and March movement, a civil society initiative that has spearheaded anti-illegal immigration marches across South Africa. She shot to national prominence earlier in 2026 after organising widespread protests that followed President Cyril Ramaphosa's national address on the immigration crisis.
What the Report Alleged
News24 published an investigation claiming that Jacinta and her husband, Xolani Zuma, had secured government tenders while she was simultaneously and vocally critical of government policy. The intended effect of the report seemed to be undermining her standing as an independent voice, but the public reaction told a very different story.
Rather than distance themselves from Jacinta, many South Africans pushed back against the article and its timing, accusing the publication of running an agenda-driven hit piece. Support for the activist visibly grew in the hours that followed, with the backlash directed squarely at those who published the story.
Mzansi Rallies Around Jacinta
Reactions on X captured just how sharply opinion had swung in her favour. Below is a selection of what netizens had to say:
@Tempo_rsa said: "They just turned her into a victim and their agenda exposed."
@Sthii__ wrote: "We are Jacinta and Jacinta is us."
@JoeFerg58678029 put it plainly: "We are always complaining about the black middle class not doing anything about the problems in this country. Jacinta, as a middle-class citizen, took an issue and ran with it. Instead, she was rewarded with hate and vilification."
@Theoptimist1901 predicted: "She is going to be bigger than all the political parties in SA."
@JustZapiro offered some perspective: "I once said, villains are not born, but they're created. She's going to be a force that they can never stop."
@ZuluSweG added: "We want her to tripleply even more banyile."
@Mzilikazi21 pointed out an unexpected development: "What is crazy is Afri Forum defending her. She successfully made white people fight among themselves."
Mphela's post, which has attracted significant engagement, captured the broader sentiment: the exposé did not achieve what it set out to do. If anything, it handed Jacinta a bigger platform and a more passionate following than she had before the article dropped.
Source: Briefly News