KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli has warned political parties against exploiting Monday’s planned anti-undocumented migrant marches, saying history would judge leaders who seek to profit from public fears instead of protecting the province from violence.Addressing the media on Sunday, Ntuli said KwaZulu-Natal was fully prepared for June 30, with police, metro police, municipal law enforcement, disaster management teams and the South African National Defence Force deployed to identified hotspots.He insisted the province would not allow a repeat of the devastation caused by the July 2021 unrest.“We rebuilt once. We will defend what we built,” Ntuli said.Without naming any political organisation, Ntuli appealed to parties inside and outside the legislature not to “play with fire” by attempting to capitalise on public frustration over undocumented immigration.“This is not a moment for point scoring. It is not a moment to harvest votes from the fear of our people or the frustration of our communities,” he said.He also rejected what he described as attempts to portray KwaZulu-Natal and Zulu people as xenophobic, arguing that isolated criminal incidents should not be used to define an entire province.“What is unacceptable is the narrative that has taken hold, one that paints KwaZulu-Natal as a province in the grip of xenophobia and Afrophobia,” he said.Referring to the killing of a Malawian in Pietermaritzburg last week, Ntuli said police investigations were continuing but argued the incident occurred in a crime-ridden informal settlement and not along the protest route.“Crime is crime, whether it affects a South African or whether it affects a foreigner.”Ntuli said intelligence had identified several hotspots, including parts of eThekwini, and security planning had been informed by those assessments.The government had secured commitments from the organisers of Monday’s marches that demonstrations would remain peaceful, while traditional leaders and community policing structures had also pledged to help protect communities and infrastructure.The premier repeatedly referenced the economic destruction caused by the July 2021 unrest, saying KwaZulu-Natal could not afford another period of instability.He said more than 40,000 businesses, 50,000 informal traders and hundreds of shopping centres were affected during the unrest, with billions of rand in economic losses and thousands of jobs placed at risk.“We buried that pain once. We will not dig that grave again. Not for unrest and not for hatred dressed up as protest.”The premier said the government recognised public concerns about undocumented migration but insisted the issue would be addressed through lawful processes rather than violence or vigilantism.He said more than 12,000 undocumented foreigners had already been deported, and the government was accelerating efforts to repatriate others while urging undocumented migrants to co-operate with authorities.Ntuli also appealed to residents to avoid spreading misinformation on social media, warning that inflammatory content could heighten tensions before Monday’s demonstrations.“We reject lawlessness. We reject xenophobia. We reject violence,” he said.Questioned about his earlier claim that political parties were seeking to exploit the marches, Ntuli said the government had not identified any specific party but warned that political opportunists should not hijack legitimate public concerns.“What we are cautioning against is that ordinary citizens’ frustrations must not be hijacked by criminal elements or political opportunism,” he said.TimesLIVE