Mischievous people hell-bent on causing chaos and attacking foreigners hijacked Friday’s anti-migrant march and were responsible for the confusion that characterised the proceedings, the organisers say.
The march was held under the banner of Mamelodi Concerned Citizens and was meant to be a peaceful gathering to submit a memorandum of grievances to the Department of Home Affairs.
Yesterday, organiser Makgoka Lekganyane said he was angry with the group that hijacked their cause, which was to raise residents’ concerns about crime.
“As marchers, we adhered to the agreement we had with authorities to march peacefully,” Lekganyane said.
He expressed disappointment and dismay at the frenzy of looting and violence incited against foreigners.
Acts of violence were never part of the plan, he said, adding that some media reports had gone as far as changing the narrative about the purpose of the march by labelling it xenophobic.
“Some media houses reported that this was an anti-immigrants march or a xenophobic march, which is not true,” he said.
Lekganyane condemned people who took advantage of the march by causing chaos and mayhem in Tshwane.
He said: “We are deeply saddened by this group that had its own agenda. As the concerned group from Mamelodi we are saying no to xenophobia.”
The march was marred by violence, looting and a show of arms by locals and foreigners.
It was preceded by the burning of houses, cars and other property in areas west of Pretoria last weekend by residents claiming to be removing criminal elements from their community.
They claimed that drug dens and houses of prostitution were their target.
Residents in the west of Pretoria woke up to roads barricaded with large objects and burning tyres, and attacks on foreign- owned establishments.
The march, which started in Marabastad, was characterised by the looting of local and foreign vendors’ stalls, of foreigners armed with various weapons to protect themselves, and violent incidents which kept police busy.
Police helicopters hovered above in an attempt to spot any violence on the ground.
Shukri Diis, chairperson of the National Somali Association, said the attacks on the foreigners was sparked by some politicians in Joburg.
“The anti-foreign sentiment is not from the community hosting the foreigners; it comes from the political representatives of the people in Johannesburg,” he said.
He rejected claims that the Somalis took away jobs from the locals, saying they instead created jobs in the country.
“This thing was incited by the politicians, and the hatred comes from the politicians.
“The communities have reacted according to politicians’ instructions.
“Someone at government level should take accountability of what happened,” he said.
Yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba denounced Friday’s acts of violence.
Gigaba attended a church service in Sunnyside, where he pleaded with South Africans to show tolerance to foreigners.
He said the incidents of violence against foreigners last week had hurt many people.
“We have been encouraged and humanity restored by the many voices saying ‘not again, not in our names’. We are one people,” Gigaba said.
Genuine concerns about the undocumented immigrants were turned into a source of hatred by those who didn’t want to see people living at peace with one another, the minister said.