Political interests, not public hostility, fuel anti-foreigner campaigns in South Africa, says journalist S'bu Ngalwa

South African journalist S'bu Ngalwa, Secretary-General of the African Editors Forum and Treasurer-General of the South African National Editors’ Forum, states that political opportunism, rather than widespread public hostility, is driving anti-foreigner campaigns in South Africa. He dismisses claims that migrants are responsible for the country’s economic and security challenges, attributing the protests to a well-funded campaign with specific political objectives. Ngalwa highlights the "March-and-March Movement" as lacking clear origin or structure but appearing well-funded, with its leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, publicly supporting former President Jacob Zuma’s MK uMkhonto weSizwe Party. He notes that the violence following Zuma’s 2021 imprisonment, largely confined to KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma's home province, involved figures now leading the anti-foreigner protests, such as Gayton Kula. Ngalwa suggests this is a political project aimed at destabilizing the government or capturing power. He believes the South African government is not behind the campaign, as it has much to lose, including economic interests across Africa. However, he criticizes the government for failing to enforce laws against protesters carrying weapons. Ngalwa asserts that the ultimate goal of the movement is to build a populist base to seize political power, though he doubts its success due to South African society's general conservatism regarding violence. He refutes claims that foreigners are taking jobs