The march to deport immigrants in Pietermaritzburg has come to an end as the police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd who wanted to hold back the immigrants.
The protestors said that my feet were broken when the police dispersed the crowd that had gathered in the protest and then they went into the buildings where the immigrants are suspected to be hiding.
The crowd was part of a peaceful protest organized by residents of a hostel on East Street, Pietermaritzburg.
The crowd that clashed with the police joined the march and complained that the protest was peaceful, and the immigrants were being chased away.
This group said they want to go to places full of immigrants.
The places they mentioned are the slums where the body was found during the anti-immigrant protests last week, KwaJika Joe, and the area called Somali, on West Street.
Another protester complained that it would not be good if the march did not end “without hitting a single ker#****”.
“And where were we going since we haven’t fired even one ****? It means I’m just counting at work.”
Although the chiefs tried to reprimand, the crowd broke up and stormed into the building on East Street.
The group entered this building to look for immigrants, found them, and were stopped by the police when they tried to enter other buildings.
Police then fired rubber bullets after protesters ignored orders to disperse.
The protesters threatened to continue their protest once the police left.
“We are not sleeping today, the protest will end tomorrow (today).”
The coordinator of the forces, Mr. Lindokwakhe Mkhize, said that the protestors who joined the group are not the residents of the hostel.
Mkhize said the protest by the hostel residents was peaceful.
“The march went well. Nothing against the law happened on the way until we came back to close it where we started, at the hostel.”
Mkhize said they want all the illegal immigrants in the country to leave.
“We are asking our immigrant brothers to leave, not to be harassed, they are people too. Just leave peacefully so that we can stay and solve our problems. We have many problems but they cannot be solved because they are inside the river. That is why we are asking them to leave so that we can drive in the yard, it will be seen that this is a house of living people.”
The police were closely monitoring the march as there was also a plane flying overhead. Although it was said that the protesters did not carry batons, the army was fully armed with them.
In the city it was clear, the immigrant shops were closed and there were few people selling on the streets.
Meanwhile, buses have continued to transport migrants who have taken refuge in the government building on Mayor’s Walk.
In this building, a lot of immigrants who fled from the places where they used to live are hiding.
Buses kept coming in and out, and foreigners kept pouring into this building.
Others who arrived at the building yesterday said they were still waiting for pay.