SA: Anti-Immigrant Threat Sparks Fear Among Foreign Parents At Addington Primary

Foreign nationals in South Africa who have children enrolled at Addington Primary School in Durban, KwaZulu‑Natal, stood guard at the school on Thursday morning, saying they feared that the group March and March might forcibly remove their children.

This follows an incident on Tuesday when the anti-immigrant group visited the school, claiming it favours pupils with foreign parents.

Sikizani Furaha, a parent from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), told IOL that the community was living in fear. Said Furaha:

“I’m here because I heard that the people from March and March are going to chase our kids away from the school.

“They don’t care whether the kids are documented or not; they just chase everyone away.

“We are very scared because they also chased us away from Addington Hospital.”

Furaha said the vigilante group claims that Addington Primary School has become a school for foreigners.

However, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of March and March, told IOL that they went to the school to support parents whose children had not been admitted.

Ngobese-Zuma said the group clashed with the foreign parents, who reportedly told her that their children also have a right to an education. Said Ngobese-Zuma:

“They told us that this is their country too, and they don’t want their children to be in overcrowded classes.

“The parents who are there were moved because of the floods. They are new in the area and couldn’t get places. The department is not assisting them.”

According to Ngobese-Zuma, about 60% of the children at the school are from foreign parents, and she claimed they do not even pay school fees.

A South African parent, Zethembiso Mthembu, who has been attending the school for months, said that on Wednesday, parents were asked to write their children’s names on a list but were not told what would happen next.

She accused foreign parents of being aggressive, saying they waved money in their faces and said, “money talks,” because they know we are poor.

Meanwhile, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) stressed that every child has the right to basic education, which cannot be denied because of missing paperwork.

The DBE also clarified that schools are not allowed to exclude learners while waiting for documentation.

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