Rumours of arrest warrants against two prominent KwaZulu-Natal activists have been firmly dismissed by police, after social media claims threatened to unsettle residents across the province.
In a statement released on Thursday, police confirmed there is no trace of any criminal case registered against Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of March and March, or her husband, Xolani Zuma. The allegations, they said, are completely baseless.
The episode matters to ordinary citizens because unverified claims of pending arrests can spread rapidly online and unsettle communities. Provincial police acknowledged this directly, explaining that while they do not normally respond to baseless allegations, the situation on the ground and the potential of such claims to cause panic among residents compelled them to speak out.
Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda warned activists against making reckless statements that could incite violence or cause public panic. “Police do not react or respond to baseless allegations; however, given the situation on the ground and the potential of these allegations to cause panic, police like to set the record straight and dismiss rumours of a pending arrest against any of the individuals and do not have a record of any case against the two,” he said.
Netshiunda also addressed the broader public duty of those with a platform. “Police would like to encourage activists to be responsible leaders and refrain from making statements that are malicious and potentially incite violence. Police are not on a witch hunt or targeting individuals,” he said.
Meanwhile, the official statement, issued under the hashtag #ResponsibleSocialMediaUse, saw the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal dismiss “rumours, allegations or pronouncement that a warrant of arrest was issued for the arrest of March and March and South Africa First Forum leaders.” The statement added that police have no trace of any case registered against the two individuals.
For members of the public, police offered practical guidance. Anyone who suspects that a warrant of arrest has been issued against them is urged to contact the police directly to verify the facts, rather than relying on speculation. Those who wish to publicly disclose that a warrant has been issued against them are advised to quote the type of charge they face, so that the public they are communicating with is not left to speculate and live in uncertainty.
The statement also carried a firm message about the force’s commitment to lawful conduct, insisting that no amount of public statements will derail police from enforcing the law. Police do not engage in a witch hunt and do not target anyone, the statement said.
The clarification comes amid heightened attention on the activities of March and March and the South Africa First Forum, whose leaders were at the centre of the rumours. By addressing the claims publicly, police sought both to correct the record and to caution against the spread of unverified information that can alarm residents and inflame tensions.
The force’s message to activists and the wider public alike was clear: verify claims with the police before acting on them or amplifying them, and exercise care with public statements that have the potential to incite violence or cause panic among communities.
For now, the position of the authorities is unambiguous. No warrant of arrest has been issued against Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma or Xolani Zuma, no criminal case exists against either of them in police records, and residents have been urged to rely on verified information from the police rather than rumours circulating on social media. Whether the public heeds that call the next time similar claims surface online remains the open question.