- March and March Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma addressed e-hailing drivers in Durban on 21 October 2026 about a planned shutdown
- Ngobese-Zuma warned that the government's proposed online asylum registration system must first serve South Africans without IDs
- The March and March leader indicated that she would speak to truck drivers as well to participate in the planned shutdown in November
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
KWAZULU-NATAL — March and March Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has called on e-hailing drivers and truck operators in Durban to prepare for a large-scale convoy shutdown on 10 November 2026, should the South African government proceed with its planned online asylum registration system.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters on a busy Durban street on 21 October 2026, Ngobese-Zuma said the N3 highway would again be a focal point for the action, with vehicles instructed to move at a crawl from early morning.
Ngobese-Zuma made the comments after another day of protest in the city, which began with e-hailing drivers taking to the streets in a motorcade. Ngobese-Zuma signalled that the November convoy would be broader in scope than previous actions, with plans to include truck drivers alongside e-hailing operators.
Online asylum system at the centre of the dispute
The March and March leader discusses another shutdown in response to Home Affairs' latest plans. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration announced on 11 October 2026 a phased biometric online intention-registration and appointment system for asylum seekers. The target launch date is 10 November.
The committee said the system was designed to ease congestion at Home Affairs offices, improve identity verification, and comply with a court ruling on asylum processing.
Ngobese-Zuma argued the system should prioritise South Africans who lack identity documents before it extends access to foreign nationals.
"They can't have an online system for foreigners when that system doesn't help South Africans who don't have IDs," she said.
The announcement of the digital registration system came in the wake of anti-immigration demonstrations in Soweto and Durban that turned violent, resulting in roughly 30 arrests and reports of torched vehicles and targeted businesses.
Home Affairs had initially withdrawn a related directive around 9 October, citing overwhelmed offices, security concerns, and threats to public safety, before the Inter-Ministerial Committee unveiled the revised online approach days later.
Ngobese-Zuma urges supporters to vote
Briefly News reported that Ngobese-Zuma urged March and March members to come out in their numbers on voting day.
The March and March leader issued a stark warning about the upcoming 4 November Local Government Elections.
Ngobese-Zuma framed the vote as critical to the movement's campaign against illegal immigration.
Source: Briefly News
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