AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel (left) and March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma (right) met on Tuesday.
Supplied/AfriForum
AfriForum and March and March have announced a new collaboration on matters of mutual interest. The meeting took place on Tuesday and the newly formed relationship is based on “mutual respect”. The announcement comes less than a fortnight after March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma said her organisation wanted to be like AfriForum and build schools.Lobby groups AfriForum and the March and March movement have agreed to jointly pursue “legal matters of mutual interest”,and to support each other on issues related to the rule of law and the fight against crime in communities,including illegal immigration.
On Tuesday,in a media release,AfriForum confirmed the meeting between the two groups - one a lobby group based on Afrikaner rights and the other based on an anti-immigrantion group.
The meeting comes less than a fortnight after March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma announced the organisation would transform itself into an NGO that,like AfriForum,would build schools.
In a statement after the meeting,AfriForum said the two organisations engaged “with a focus” on benefitting communities and citizens at the grassroots level.
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The meeting discussions revolved around shared challenges and interests,“as well as possible solutions and cooperation”.
READ | March and March launches NGO,aims to ‘become like AfriForum’
According to the AfriForum statement,areas of potential collaboration included capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving socioeconomic conditions within the framework of the law,as well as “the promotion of mother-language education and efficient,accessible education” and “peaceful coexistence” between the groups.
“Furthermore,the organisations agreed to jointly pursue legal matters of mutual interest and to support one another on issues relating to the rule of law and the fight against crime in communities,inclusive of illegal migration,” read the statement.
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Not leaving the anti-immigrant stance behind,Ngobese-Zuma,in the same statement,said: “The movement believes that unsecured borders have serious consequences for the ailing economy. The skyrocketing trade in illicit goods is affecting businesses and may result in job losses. Crime continues to ravage communities,and civic movements should work together to put systems in place to ensure the creation of safer communities.”
Meeting between March and Mach and AfriForum: I am looking forward to meeting with @JacintaNgobese-Zuma and her team from @MarchAndMarchSA today. @afriforum has a long history of engaging with fellow South Africans to build a better future. pic.twitter.com/RgQGUATRjj
— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) August 18,2026
She added that while the two organisations might have common interests,there were also differences.
“The relationship is therefore based on mutual respect,with both parties agreeing to complement and challenge one another in pursuit of the shared objective of building a united South Africa that acknowledges diversity.”
READ | Modidima Mannya: Beware of AfriForum’s onslaught on our democratic order
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel,also in the statement,said the organisation was “willing to share,humbly and openly”,what had worked for the lobby group over the last 20 years in building the 300 000-strong organisation.
“We look forward to working with March and March in their effort to establish a community-focused organisation that can improve the lives of ordinary people at the grassroots level,” added Kriel.
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