By Zubeida Jaffer
The first anti-immigrant march in the southern suburbs of the Cape was set to start in Wynberg at 9a.m and end at Newlands at 3p.m.
I am a resident of Wynberg and joined the gathered group shortly after 9a.m identifying myself as a reporter. The anti-immigrant movement, March and March, had applied for permission for 500 people to participate in the protest.
Charlie Roux, the Cape Town leader of the organisation, said the objective of the march was to “make their voices heard.” Roux who said he comes from Durbanville declared that he agreed with the sentiments of Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, the founder of the March and March movement. “The system is against us black and brown people,” he said. “We are asking that all illegal immigrants be removed.” He said he had struggled to get places for his children at school while “illegal immigrants’ fill the schools. This will not be allowed in other countries.”
Roux further said that the NGO’s and all political parties were sell-outs. “They do not know our struggles,” he said. “We want government to hear us,” he said.
Roux met with social order police before the march and assured them that he would keep to the terms of the permit granted. The group of about 20 supporters grew to about 40 by the time the march set off at around 10.30am.
There was not one other person from Wynberg itself present besides myself. Those present told me they were from Kraaifontein, Khayelitsha, Brooklyn, Retreat, and Gugulethu. The mother of two from Kraaifontein had come because she feels she is not safe. So too did a young man from Brooklyn who said he could not walk in the streets because of all the immigrants in his area. Those from Retreat complained that the Primary Schools they had attended were overrun and there was no place for local South Africans.
Two women from a church in Lakeside had come along to find some support against a Congolese pastor. “We are from the Riverview Church of Christ and are struggling to get our church back under our control.” ( Space does allow me to share the whole story but the details are available through google.)
I was not able to march with them all the way to Newlands but checked with a reporter who had gone all the way. As far as he saw, the march did not grow to more than 50 people and proceeded without incident.
My note: I was mainly interested to see how many people from my area was drawn to this movement and there were none. Without being asked, Charlie Roux said no-one paid him to organize the protestors and that most of them would return home in taxis at their own expense.
