March 'not meant to end in violence'

KWANONQABA NEWS - A spokesperson for the march against illegal foreigners that began at the Asla Park taxi rank on 29 May has said the protest was never meant to end in violence and people's homes being burnt down.

Simphiwe James told Mossel Bay Advertiser he had seen a post on Facebook calling for people to march against illegal foreigners, and to gather at the taxi rank in Asla Park for this purpose.

He said when he arrived that morning, there were a few other people, but a heavy police presence in the area. He and some other people spoke among themselves for a while, and although they were then only a small group, they decided to carry on with the march.

James said the police then approached the group and asked who would be held responsible for the protest if things got out of hand, and he volunteered.

The police tied some caution tape to him so he could easily be spotted in the crowd.

"We told the police the march would be peaceful, and we discussed a route through KwaNonqaba - and then we began the march," James said.

"When we reached Barcelona Circle in KwaNonqaba, some members from the community who were not part of the march joined us and started causing a disturbance. The police asked if we could calm them down. We could not. It was out of my hands."

That was when the police dispersed the crowd using stun grenades.

James said he and some of the other people who had been marked responsible for the protest then made their way to the KwaNonqaba Police Station to discuss what had happened, but on their way there, a police officer stopped them and said some homes in the Giyani informal settlement were being burnt down.

"We ran there and tried to calm things down. People were throwing rocks at one another. We asked the people what was going on, and some foreigners told us that people were asking for their identification, going into their homes, taking things and setting fire to everything.

"I asked for everyone's names so I could make a list of those affected, and then left and to give the list to the KwaNonqaba Police," said James.

"The march was not a call to burn down houses. We did not want that. It was supposed to be peaceful. We only wanted people to know our struggles as South Africans with having illegal immigrants in our area," he said.

Against the backdrop of a heavy police presence, including Public Order Police (POP) Units, officers from stations in the greater Mossel Bay area and Mossel Bay Municipality's law enforcement officers, protesters marched through the streets of KwaNonqaba, singing and calling for onlookers to join them.

A police officer addresses the gathering before the start of the march. Photo: Chelsea Pieterse

It was reported that the march was supposed to circle through KwaNonqaba and end back at the rank; however, reports indicate that the group went down to Barcelona Circle before police used stun grenades to disperse them.

Early this afternoon, reports came in of several structures that were set alight in Giyani.

The municipality said that the Mossel Bay Fire and Rescue and Disaster Management (MBFRDM) teams responded to structure fires in the KwaNonqaba area and that crews remain on standby to respond where required, provided that areas can be accessed and if it is deemed safe to do so.

It added that both the Asla Clinic and Alma Clinic will close earlier today, due to protest action.

"This decision was made in the interest of the safety of both staff and patients. Patients requiring emergency medical care are advised to go to Mossel Bay Hospital," it said.

The municipality said the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) remains fully operational, with all areas under continuous surveillance.

A Southern Cape Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Chris Spies, said a public violence docket has been opened for further police investigation and that the various police officers and units will remain in the area to monitor the situation.

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