Cape Town - The City of Cape Town is braced for “unprecedented levels of violence” in the central city should a planned but illegal march of thousands take place on Friday.
Organisers of the march on the provincial legislature – in protest against poor services and housing – have reportedly been mobilising people from as far afield as Paarl and Stellenbosch.
Cape Town Informal Settlements Leaders say they want to prevent people from going to work by blockading transport hubs, and want to bring thousands of people into the CBD for a three-day sit-in, starting on Friday.
This information was handed to Western Cape Premier Helen Zille by State Security which has been gathering intelligence on the march organisers’ mobilisation process for weeks.
It is also the first indication that reports of a huge number of people descending on the city centre on Friday are not empty threats.
“There is every indication, judging by this intelligence, that the march will be violent,” said Zak Mbhele, Zille’s spokesman. “The premier has warned mayor Patricia de Lille and has handed this intelligence to (the mayor’s) office as well as to the police.”
The city has denied the protest organisers a march permit, and late on Wednesday the city’s lawyers applied for an urgent interdict in the Western Cape High Court to stop the protest.
The court is expected to rule on Thursday.
Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille tweeted: “The city is taking the threats seriously and we are seeking an urgent interdict.”
De Lille said the march organisers had been refused permission to hold the protest, after the authorities, who included the police, “did not approve their application due to credible evidence received under oath indicating that such a gathering could result in a serious disruption to vehicular and pedestrian traffic; injury to persons; and possible damage to property”.
De Lille said the city had become aware of “serious threats of unprecedented levels of violence” should the march take place. “The organisers of this illegal protest have vowed to proceed with the demonstration despite the fact they have not obtained a permit as required by the National Gatherings Act… the city has pursued the interdict as a last resort to avoid a repeat of the violent incidents that unfolded during a protest organised by the same group a few weeks ago.”
This came just hours after a meeting on Wednesday, between the march organisers and Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, broke down after running nearly two-and-a-half hours over time. Madikizela confirmed that the parties were no closer to reaching a consensus on the group’s “vague” demands.
Last month’s protests, which deteriorated into rioting and looting, followed the presentation of a memo to Madikizela calling for him to make government land available for housing, and to allocate sites.
The protesters, who hail from informal settlements and are being organised by former city councillor Andile Lili and suspended councillor Loyiso Nkohla, claim that Madikizela has failed to respond to their demands.
Nkohla and Lili gained notoriety for orchestrating a number of protests over poor sanitation which have included the dumping of raw sewage at government buildings and on public roads.
After receiving the memo last month, Madikizela said he acknowledged the “legitimate concerns” of people who did not have houses. In a statement, he said that he had been willing to engage on these grievances and that he did in fact respond to the memorandum. But the MEC also complained about the “vagueness” of the memorandum.
Wednesday’s meeting was intended to bring the MEC and the march organisers closer together. The Human Settlements Department made a presentation to show what it had done in terms of housing delivery over the past four years.
“In spite of the many challenges we face, including ongoing internal community conflict, limited land for relocation, and ongoing contestation for houses, the department has used its entire budget each year since 2009 to deliver over 110 000 housing opportunities in order to cater for the different housing needs that exist,” Madikizela said.
Nkohla, who represented Cape Town Informal Settlements Leaders at the meeting, dismissed Madikizela’s presentation. He said that it was focused on the past and did not address some of the protesters’ key concerns about the future of housing and land allocation. Friday’s march, he said, would go ahead.
There seems to be confusion over how the march organisers plan to transport thousands of supporters into the CBD. At last month’s march, which was legal, Metrorail made a special concession for the 6 000 protesters to travel at lower tariffs.
But Metrorail chief executive Mthuthuzeli Swartz said on Wednesday: “Unlike before, we have not had any application for a similar concession for Friday. There will not be any concession for the marchers.”
However, Sithembele Majova, spokesman for Cape Town Informal Settlements Leaders, said Friday’s marchers would come to town by train.
“Metrorail is used by us poor people and that’s why we are demanding that they transport us.”
Meanwhile law enforcement agencies have declined to divulge their plans for containing the march.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said the police were prepared to “act decisively” to prevent criminality.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said contingency plans were in place to ensure that the marchers did not reach the CBD.
Shop owners and stallholders have been warned to close up on Friday to avoid possible looting.
“We are advising all shops to close down because we don’t want to be held accountable when it comes to looting,”said Sibusiso Zonke, one of the protest organisers.
During last month’s protest march to the provincial legislature, a breakaway group of protesters ran down St George’s Mall and into Greenmarket Square and Adderley Street, smashing windows and looting stalls.
The protest organisers claimed opportunistic outsiders were responsible.
Xolani Dwyili, another organiser, said: “I feel sorry for their loss, but Premier Helen Zille should be held accountable for that. Our marchers spent the whole day seated at the legislature’s office and did not leave.”
Dwyili said it would be better if shops and stalls closed on Friday and then no looting could take place. “The ball is in their court, but we have advised them,” he said.
Gloria Luabeya, who sells bags and African crafts in St George’s Mall, said her and her sister’s stalls had been robbed of goods worth R25 000.
“We are going to close because last time they took stuff; we were so scared – we feared for our lives. We won’t take that risk again.”
Snack stall owner Ishmael Hussain-Sharief said he would close shop only if he felt threatened. “The police have not given us any letters to close, but if we do see (protesters) we will close,” he said.
daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za
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