Ntshavheni Faces Criticism Over King Misuzulu Remark After Cabinet Briefing

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has faced criticism following remarks she made about King Misuzulu kaZwelithini during Thursday’s post-Cabinet briefing.

Ntshavheni said she would only learn isiZulu when the Zulu king learns Tshivenda, Tsonga and Sepedi.

“I will wait for the Zulu king to learn how to speak XiVenda, Tsonga and Sepedi. That’s when I will teach myself how to speak IsiZulu. As there is no constitutional right for some people to demand others to speak their language,” she said.

The remarks came amid ongoing debates around anti-illegal immigration protests and allegations of tribal mobilisation in parts of Gauteng.

Ntshavheni Warns Against Tribal Mobilisation During Immigration Protests

During the briefing, Ntshavheni said some protests targeting undocumented foreign nationals were being driven by tribal sentiments.

“We can’t have people willingly deciding to attack others with no base of the attack but based on a sentiment, as this is related to the tribal mobilisation that is happening,” she said.

She referred to a video in which a Venda-speaking man was allegedly confronted and accused of being undocumented.

“You will recall in one of the videos there’s a Venda guy who they wanted a passport from but then he tells them ‘I am Venda, I don’t have a passport I have an ID’ and they continued to attack him, to harass him. He was just saved by the community,” Ntshavheni said.

“That’s why we say this thing is meant to undermine and destabilise the country. The mobilisation against foreign nationals is a route that people are using to destabilise the country.”

Her comments followed a separate incident during a memorandum handover linked to the “March and March” protests, where some protesters allegedly demanded that she address them in isiZulu while she was speaking in Tshivenda and Sepedi.

South Africans React On Social Media

Ntshavheni’s remarks triggered mixed reactions online, with some social media users accusing her of fuelling divisions while others defended her comments.

User @Smanga_Da_Great posted: “The only time Zulu people were accused of tribalism was when it was politically motivated. There’s never been any tribal tension or attacks ever since, so it proves that S.Ans get along without politics. And politicians use tribalism to divide us.”

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Zulu People please Do not Respond to Ntshavheni 😭😭about what she Said about your King!!

This is a Bait! And she will use her position to push that narrative of Tribalism so the Project of removing illegal Foreigners can be Undermined. pic.twitter.com/qZOt7pSbQl

— knick (@Knick_RSA) May 7, 2026

Another user, @azania1023, criticised the minister for involving the Zulu monarch in the debate. “Very irresponsible of the Minister to drag Isilo King Misuzulu in this. When she goes to address white people she never speaks in her language, she speaks English.

“But when she addresses black people in an area where isiZulu is dominant she wants to speak her language.”

Meanwhile, @Knick_RSA wrote: “This is a bait! And she will use her position to push that narrative of tribalism so the project of removing illegal foreigners can be undermined.”

Another user, @collen_sambo2, defended Ntshavheni’s stance. “We stand by Comrade Ntshavheni. You can’t force people to speak a language that’s foreign to them.”