SOUTH AFRICA'S DONALD TRUMP

Zulu king demands migrants leave South Africa

 

By Olivia Allhusen

 

Daily Mail

Feb 3, 2026

 

 

Speaking at a public event marking the British defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini used a derogatory term for migrants from neighbouring African countries and said they should be forced to go

 

South Africa's Zulu king has sparked outrage after demanding that migrants leave the country following violent clashes near his home.

Speaking at a public event marking the British defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini used a derogatory term for migrants from neighbouring African countries and said they should be forced to go.

The monarch claimed that growing numbers of South African women were having relationships with foreign men, and said that while any children born from those relationships could remain in the country, the men themselves must leave.

Although the 51-year-old holds no formal political power, his words carry significant weight among South Africa's 12 million Zulus, who view him as a custodian of tradition and a powerful moral authority. 

His remarks come weeks after police were forced to deploy water cannons and stun grenades to break up violent demonstrations at a primary school in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

The unrest erupted after anti-immigration campaigners accused Addington Primary School of giving priority to the children of migrants over South African pupils.

Local authorities have denied this allegation and said that there was no evidence that immigration had caused a shortage of school places.

 

South Africa's Zulu king has sparked outrage after demanding that migrants leave the country following violent clashes near his home

 

While urging calm and warning supporters not to take the law into their own hands, the king repeated his demand that foreign nationals leave the country. 

Referring to the school clashes, he said: 'What happened at Addington shows that we are being compromised by our sisters. But what can we do, because their children are our nephews and nieces?'

'However, we must sit down and discuss this. Even if my nephew or niece is born of a foreign national, that foreign national must leave, while my nephew or niece should remain.'

The comments were met with cheers from the crowd, prompting the king to laugh as he spoke.

Critics were quick to point out the irony of his remarks, noting that his own mother was from Eswatini and that one of his wives also comes from the neighbouring kingdom.

Xenophobia has long plagued South Africa, with repeated outbreaks of violence against migrants over the past decade.

The king's comments echo those of his late father, Goodwill Zwelithini, who told migrants in 2015 to 'pack their belongings' and leave the country, remarks later ruled 'hurtful and harmful' by the nation's human rights body.

More than ten years on, hostility towards migrants remains a volatile political issue, fuelled by claims that foreigners are taking jobs and benefiting from public services.

South Africa's unemployment rate remains among the highest in the world, hovering at around 33 per cent.