Pretoria - The highly-anticipated nationwide People's March meant to shut down the country on Friday has been deemed illegal in Tshwane.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane said although protests had been approved for other cities the planned marches in and around the City of Tshwane were illegal as the organising parties had failed to secure approval from the relevant authorities.
Phahlane said structures and organisations needed to comply to all processes needed in order for the South African Police Service to mobilise the required resources.
He said this was required in order for the maintenance of public property and crowd management.
"As such anyone who takes part in the march will be violating the law."
"We ask structure representatives refrain from making public statements that will disturb peace and incite public violence," he said.
Permission for protests to proceed have however been approved for Johannesburg, Ethekwini and Mbombela.
The National Commissioner said that police would however be deployed as resources had been made available to monitor the situation.
He said they had received communication from the TMPD that the organisors had failed to meet the all requirements needed.
"Irrespective of its legality the police will police that march."
Phahlane said should a court order come through giving the march the go-ahead the situation would not change their stance.
"If it is illegal then a case docket will be open, investigated and the organizers will be charged," he said.
This is despite documentation from the Tshwane magisterial District provided to Section 27 representative Mark Heywood stating that the Tshwane marches had been approved.
#Phahlane I suspect that he is deliberately sowing confusion to dissuade people from participating #peoplesmarch pic.twitter.com/dqniUwNjfo
— Zwelinzima Vavi (@Zwelinzima1) April 6, 2017
And tweets from Executive Mayor Solly Msimanga saying the march had not been barred.
"I work on official documents and in particular those in my possession and work only on what the court directs," he concluded.