By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Government expressed its appreciation to all South Africans who exercised their constitutional right to protest peacefully and responsibly during migration-related demonstrations.
The protest has remained largely peaceful. There have been only isolated incidents of confrontation, but no confirmed reports of looting, damage to infrastructure or other violent criminal activity.
National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) briefed the media at their headquarters in Pretoria on Wednesday, 1 July.
NatJoints chairperson Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said that the situation during the day and overnight was one of relative calm.
There were 120 official demonstrations and 300 affiliated demonstrations during the day and into the night. The protests, most of which were peaceful, were attended by thousands of people.
The Eastern Cape recorded the most protests at 28 (including two incidents of civil unrest), followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 21 protests and two unrest incidents, and Gauteng with 12 protests and one incident of unrest.
However, there were isolated incidents of violence. Looting was documented overnight in Germiston and Alexandra in Gauteng, and Claremont in KwaZulu-Natal, in which foreign-owned businesses and homes were targeted.
At least two people — one aged 17 — were injured in a shooting in Hillbrow and three arrests were made.
In total, 900 people were arrested, more than 300 were of undocumented migrants for contravening the Immigration Act. Other arrests were made for looting, attempted looting, public violence, incitement to commit public violence, and harbouring undocumented migrants. The Western Cape had the bulk of arrests (215), followed by the Eastern Cape (208) and Gauteng (154).
“Those who sought to exploit yesterday’s demonstration for criminal gain were identified, pursued and brought before the law,” said Mosikili.
“Law enforcement will continue to monitor developments through the days ahead. We remain vigilant, we remain prepared, and we continue to act decisively against anyone who threatens the safety, security and stability of our country. We also intensify our operations to ensure that all people who are in the country are in possession of valid documents and are in compliance with the laws of the republic.”
She thanked the leadership of the various march organisers.
“We thank them for working with law enforcement, for encouraging their supporters to remain peaceful, and for ensuring that their followers adhered to the Constitution and obeyed the laws of our country.”
“Your leadership contributed significantly to maintaining public order and ensuring that South Africans were able to exercise their democratic rights safely. We also thank every South African who heeded the call to demonstrate peacefully and responsibly.”
Despite the incidents that occurred, she said law enforcement officers worked tirelessly throughout the night to ensure that peace, safety and stability prevailed.
“And indeed, while there were opportunistic criminal elements that sought to exploit the situation, they were identified and dealt with swiftly and decisively by law enforcement.”
She said overnight, reinforcements were deployed to various parts of Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Western Cape in response to isolated incidents of looting and criminality.
“Law enforcement agencies acted swiftly to stabilise the affected areas, restore order and prevent any further disruption. The situation remains under control, and the areas remain under constant monitoring.”