KZN Premier Ntuli issues warning ahead of June 30: ‘Province cannot be set alight a second time’

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli addressed the media, urging peaceful protests ahead of June 30.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has issued a stern warning against any repeat of the devastating civil unrest seen in July 2021, urging citizens to reject violence and lawlessness ahead of the planned protests on June 30.

Speaking against the backdrop of tensions surrounding the ‘deadline’ for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa, Ntuli emphasised that while the government acknowledges public concerns regarding migration, the province cannot afford to be “set alight a second time”.

At a media briefing on the state of readiness ahead of June 30, Ntuli condemned the narrative in traditional and social media, that KZN is in the grip of xenophobia and Afrophobia.

He said the government acknowledged concerns raised by communities about the management of undocumented migration, saying authorities are committed to addressing it through proper, lawful and orderly processes, and not through hatred, harassment, or violence directed at any person.