Durban- The eThekwini Municipality has condemned a march by a group of about 150 people marched through the eThekwini’s central business district earlier on Monday calling for foreigners to leave.
The group which was led by members purporting to be Umkhonto weSizwe veterans who demanded that foreign nationals leave the country as they were taking away job opportunities from South Africans.
The march was the latest effort - condemned as xenophobia against mostly African foreigners, many of whom’s countries welcomed South African freedom fighters during the apartheid era - by the group purporting to be MK Vets.
Today’s march was heavily monitored by Saps and eThekwini Metro police.
EThekwini MK vets convener Zibuse Cele, said the laws in South Africa were favourable to foreign nationals and not South Africans.
“These people do not bank their money and it is only us South Africans who bank our money so that it circulates for everybody,” he said.
Cele, without providing proof said that South Africans paid tax and that foreign nationals were grant recipients.
Earlier this month the MK Vets forced traders at the The Workshop shopping centre to leave their stalls and only allowed South African stall owners to operate.
More than two weeks later the stalls belonging to the foreign nationals are still closed.
They also embarked on a march that ended up being violent with rubber bullets and teargas being fired.
Salons and stores belonging to foreign nationals were looted during this protest.
Meanwhile the African Solidarity Network which represents foreign nationals had been left exasperated by the lack of help from the government after they approached various departments for assistance.
EThekwini spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela said: “EThekwini belongs to all those who live in it and this can be seen in how eThekwini has shown no prejudice by allowing everyone to trade in the city. Please note that the city is currently in engagements with all those concerned.”
Daily News