'Your country is still underdeveloped' - South Africa's Jacinta blasts Africans who supported Mexico

Dorcas Agambila 13:41 - 12 June 2026

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South African activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma

South African activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, who is known for her hardline anti-immigration stance, has sparked fresh controversy after criticising Africans who supported Mexico in their World Cup clash against South Africa.

South African activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has criticised Africans who supported Mexico against South Africa in their 2026 World Cup opener.
Bafana Bafana lost 2–0 to Mexico after goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, with South Africa also finishing with nine men.
Jacinta’s remarks on Facebook, including claims aimed at critics of her anti-immigration stance, have triggered heated debate online.

The comments come after Bafana Bafana suffered a 2–0 defeat to co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday, 11 June 2026, in their opening match of the tournament.

Mexico took control early in the game, with Julián Quiñones opening the scoring in the ninth minute after capitalising on a defensive lapse at the edge of the box.

South Africa struggled to respond and managed to hold off further pressure until half-time without conceding again. However, their task became significantly harder when defender Yaya Sithole was sent off after bringing down a Mexican attacker who had broken through on goal.

With a numerical advantage, Mexico doubled their lead 17 minutes later through former Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez. Any hopes of a comeback were further dashed in the 83rd minute when Themba Zwane was also shown a red card. Despite Mexico’s César Montes later being dismissed in stoppage time, the hosts held on to secure victory.

Ahead of the match, a wave of support for Mexico emerged on social media across several African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria. Some users said they were backing Mexico due to tensions linked to anti-immigration activism associated with Jacinta and her group, March and March.

Following the defeat and criticism on her social media posts, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma took to Facebook to respond sharply to those who supported Mexico against South Africa.

In a strongly worded post, she argued that supporting another country would not improve their own circumstances.

She wrote;

Supporting Mexico still did not fix your country. You are still not Mexican; you are still from an underdeveloped country

She further added a pointed remark questioning critics’ priorities:

After supporting Mexico to beat us, will you now use the toilets and not the road?

Her comments have since triggered widespread debate online, further intensifying discussions around nationalism, immigration and football rivalries across the continent.

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