The LEADER of the March and March, Mrs Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, urged members of the public to keep their sneakers on as they will be holding protests every Thursday against illegal immigrants.
Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma said this yesterday outside the Point police station, South Beach, following a peaceful march, which was attended by a large number of people, from King Dinuzulu Park in Market, until it was closed outside the police station.
Mrs Ngobese-Zuma said they have seen that there are those who have volunteered to go back to their countries as the deadline, June 30, was set.
“In the next six months, because we haven’t got the answers we want right now, yes, about 50,000 have left, which we see as a very small number. We have seen that the government has all the resources, please use them to move the immigrants who are in the country illegally,” said Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma.
He said the government will have to enter building after building, and move out the illegal immigrants. He said they want him to start with areas such as Point, Hillbrow and Sunnyside, which are areas known to be drug hotspots.
“If you are determined for them to leave, we have set six months, we are announcing something that will require the government to always have R600 million. From now on, if they have not left, we will march every Thursday because we are determined that they leave. I say put on your sneakers and stay ready,” said Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma.
While reading the list of their complaints, which they have forwarded to the Deputy Minister of Police, Mr. Cassel Mathale and the Mayor of Durban, Mr. Cyril Xaba, he said that they want changes to be made in the country’s borders.
“We want the government to increase the money it gives to the Border Management Authority (BMA) so that the borders are secured. Even if they install a fence or a wall, because we want security,” said Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma.
He said that those in this country still want to hear about foreigners who ride crocodiles when they come to this country while others use the forests to enter.
“We want the BMA to be allowed to work even inside the country. We want to increase the number of workers who take care of immigrants. Currently, the whole country has 800 workers. We want this number to be increased to 10,000,” he said.
He said they also want the economic laws to be changed so that only those in the country benefit from the township economy.
“We are able to handle the business of zapaza. We don’t need Somalis to do that for us. For years we had shops that were managed by locals, we don’t need to be managed by foreigners. We want them to be brought back to the locals,” he said.
He said that truck drivers in this country are facing the problem of not being employed, and foreigners have been hired in their place. He said that in Johannesburg, this trend is happening even in the car industry that is paid for by the distance traveled. He said it is exaggerated that there are immigrants who are employed as waiters in food stores, working in houses, when these jobs are not a skill that is not available in the country.
“All these jobs have been taken over by immigrants even though there is a law in this country that states that no employer should hire an immigrant without a work permit in this country. Currently we do not see that. This law also clarifies that an immigrant should be employed if the employer is satisfied that no one in the country has that skill,” said Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma.