Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma Faces Major Court Battle as Firoz Cachalia Seeks to Restrict Durban Protests

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has approached the High Court in an urgent attempt to restrict March and March Movement protests in parts of Durban, setting the stage for a major legal battle over public order and the constitutional right to demonstrate.

The case, Minister of Police v March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, is scheduled to be heard on Friday, 30 October 2026, at 10:00.

According to the amended court application, Cachalia wants an order preventing Ngobese-Zuma and other named members of the movement from organising or participating in marches, processions and protest convoys within specified areas of eThekwini Municipality.

The proposed restrictions cover parts of the Durban central business district, Berea and the area surrounding the Department of Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road, formerly known as Moore Road.

The application also seeks to prohibit violence, intimidation, looting and damage to property. The court papers identify conduct including threats or assaults against members of the public, damage to homes and businesses, attacks on vehicles and the Home Affairs facility, and attempts to force people to close businesses or leave their homes and workplaces.

Cachalia is further asking the court to prevent protesters from blocking entrances and exits or using intimidation to deny people reasonable access to buildings and other premises.

The matter has been brought as an urgent application under Rule 6(12) of the Uniform Rules of Court, with reference to the Regulation of Gatherings Act 205 of 1993.

However, the court has not yet granted the requested restrictions. Cachalia is seeking a rule nisi requiring Ngobese-Zuma and the other named parties to explain why the proposed order should not be confirmed.

The application is not a nationwide ban on protests. It focuses on specified demonstrations within eThekwini, particularly around the Refugee Reception Centre.

March and March has repeatedly demonstrated outside the facility as part of its campaign for stricter immigration enforcement. The movement has also raised concerns about foreign nationals working in the delivery sector.

During a protest on Tuesday, Ngobese-Zuma said the organisation had been marching for 21 months. She accused the government of attempting to prevent the movement from exercising its constitutional right to protest.

The movement has challenged the proposed restrictions as an attempt to limit that right and called on supporters to attend Friday’s court hearing.

The legal dispute comes amid heightened security concerns in Durban following tensions surrounding immigration-related protests. The government has announced the deployment of 510 South African National Defence Force members to support police efforts to maintain law and order.

Friday’s hearing could prove significant for both public safety and the movement’s ability to demonstrate in the affected areas. Until the court rules, the requested restrictions remain an application rather than an existing court order.

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