Anti-illegal immigration activist Nkosikhona Phakela Ndabandaba has hailed Monday’s march to Protea Police Station in Soweto as peaceful and successful, saying it demonstrated that South Africans can protest responsibly while raising concerns about illegal immigration and alleged corruption involving some police officers.
Thousands of demonstrators travelled from different parts of Soweto before converging at the Soweto Theatre in Jabulani. From there, they marched several kilometres to Protea Police Station under a heavy police presence. Many participants carried sticks, but the demonstration proceeded without major incidents.
After handing over a memorandum of demands, Ndabandaba accused some politicians of attempting to incite violence during previous demonstrations.
He said the peaceful nature of Monday’s march proved that ordinary South Africans were law-abiding and rejected claims that the movement was violent or xenophobic.
Ndabandaba also dismissed allegations that the movement was receiving funding from political interests or foreign governments, insisting it would not accept funding that sought to influence its agenda. He said the campaign was focused on promoting the interests of South Africans rather than any political party.
With demonstrations expected on 30 June, Ndabandaba urged businesses to remain open, saying organisers had visited Jabulani Mall during the march without any incidents.
“We encourage all the shops to open because we went to Jabulani Mall, went inside and everybody was happy. Nothing was damaged,” he said.
Gauteng Police Deputy Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana accepted the memorandum on behalf of the South African Police Service and thanked organisers and participants for conducting a peaceful march.
