By Chulumanco Mahamba.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured the country that the security cluster is on top of the situation in Durban as the police fired tear gas at protesters marching against the asylum seeker ruling.
The police in Durban fired tear gas at protesters in the CBD to disperse the crowd marching against illegal foreign nationals in the country on Friday.
Security cluster is on top of situation in Durban
Protests erupted in South Africa after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) ruled that refugees and asylum seekers must be allowed to access processing centres, regardless of whether they entered South Africa illegally.
The Department of Home Affairs withdrew its directive on Friday to process those applications after violence erupted.
Several cars belonging to immigrants were set alight in Orlando, Soweto; cars were also set on fire in Durban, while police in Gqeberha used stun grenades to disperse locals on Thursday.
Speaking in the Free State to officiate the launch of the Free State Catalytic Investment and Industrialisation Programme at the Phuthaditjhaba Multipurpose Centre in QwaQwa on Friday, Ramaphosa said the directive was a departmental implementation, and after evaluation, Home Affairs withdrew it while the broader situation is assessed.
“We are dealing with the challenges that are now unfolding in Durban, and our security cluster is on top of the situation,” the president said to the media.
“And we are just hoping that there should be no loss of life and that there should be no danger to any group of people in our country.”
Ramaphosa has also wished former President Jacob Zuma a speedy recovery. The MK party leader was admitted to a hospital in Pietermaritzburg after falling ill earlier this week.
Govt acknowledged citizens have legitimate grievances
While assessing the situation in Durban, acting police minister Firoz Cachalia said the government acknowledged that citizens have legitimate grievances regarding illegal immigration and its impact on service delivery and unemployment.
He said that officials are committed to addressing the matter through lawful means that respect regional stability and South Africa’s international standing.
On the ConCourt’s ruling, Cachalia said courts look at matters from a legal point of view.
“I don’t think the court took account of the administrative complications and the resources that are required to give effect to their judgment,” he said.
The acting minister added that government is seeking a legal opinion on whether to request the Constitutional Court to adjust its order to accommodate implementation difficulties.
Violent protests redirect police resources
On the incidents of arson and violence that occurred during protests, Cachalia noted that violent protests misdirect police resources away from other critical safety issues like gender-based violence.
“We are a country of laws. If we are all law-abiding, we can make a lot more progress in our society. Instability and violence do not serve our interests,” he said.
The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Thami Ntuli, said law enforcement intends to engage with the protest organisers to ensure demonstrations remain focused on their objectives and don’t deviate into looting.
Ntuli emphasised that looting and destroying businesses directly harm future job opportunities for children in the province.
“We are destroying the future of our children because when investors run away from the province because of violence and instability, the ones who feel the hardest consequences of that are our children,” the premier said.
He also acknowledged that a lack of communication regarding the ConCourt ruling may have contributed to the public reaction.
Vehicle set alight outside ConCourt
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, violence erupted outside the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein after a vehicle was set alight and police fired rubber bullets.
Controversial media personality Ngizwe Mchunu led marchers from Kwa Mai Mai in the city’s CBD to the court.
There were also some marches in Soweto earlier, but the situation in the Joburg CBD and Soweto was calm by Friday afternoon.
City of Joburg mayor Dada Morero conducted assessments in Orlando West and said that while order has been restored and the directive was withdrawn, significant work remained regarding economic opportunities and unemployment.
The mayor said that while the Constitution protects the right to protest, there are also rights and obligations to protest peacefully.