AN ORGANIZATION against illegal immigrants, March and March, has vowed to continue with the protest planned for Tuesday, if the Municipal Manager of Thekwini does not write down concrete reasons for refusing to hold the protest.
The leader of the March and March, Mrs Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, told the public on social media on Wednesday that they have received a call from the Municipality of Thekwini for the protest that has been announced for a long time.
In a letter attached to the announcement, Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma revealed that some of the leaders of this non-profit organization were called to a meeting with municipal officials, who were also present.
He pointed out that on June 24, which is about three working days left before the protest, their members were called to a meeting, where they were told orally that the municipal manager refused to allow the march to take place.
“He refused saying that the march is a great danger to the security of the country. He is saying this without bringing concrete evidence to support his statement,” said Ngobese-Zuma.
He said they want to remind the municipality that gathering of people and protesting is a right recognized by the Constitution.
He said what surprised them was that they did everything according to the law that regulates protests. Among them, he said that they filed the request on time, and when there were discussions where they put the roads they want to walk on when they protest, the municipality suggested some, and there were some changes that they agreed to.
“By doing this, we are showing that we are working together and collaborating in discussions,” he said.
He then warned that if the municipality continues to refuse them to protest, which is their constitutional right, the municipal manager should write down his refusal.
“We want it to write down the reasons for rejecting the protest, to state that the decision has been taken, quoting which law prohibits people from gathering and bring the evidence obtained by the officer who did the research which revealed that the march will be dangerous to the security of the country,” said Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma.
He emphasized that if there is nothing officially written down by the municipality that the march has been rejected, they will continue with it as planned.
As it happens, the Acting National Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia revealed that R600 million was released for security programs on the day of the protests.
As of press time last night, the municipality has not yet responded to this issue.