A man was assaulted with a weapon in Braamfontein and left bleeding after a group of shirtless men carrying sticks and shields diverted from the approved route of an anti-immigrant protest organised by March and March on Wednesday.
Police accompanying the protest appeared unable to direct the crowd back to the approved route. About a thousand people came from various groupings, including ActionSA and the MK Party, to support the anti-immigrant protest.
Video: Ihsaan Haffejee
An Ethiopian shopkeeper said businesses shut for the day over safety concerns and uncertainty about police protection.
“We are hoping that there is no looting and that the police can protect us. People are scared, that is the reality,” an Ethiopian immigrant told GroundUp.
Protesters had initially gathered at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown and were headed to the Gauteng Legislature but broke away to march through Braamfontein and Hillbrow.
Residents also watched from nearby buildings. The marchers shouted insults at anyone they thought was an immigrant.
On Bree Street, business owners hurriedly shut their shops.
A memorandum of demands was handed to Premier Panyaza Lesufi. Attempts by Lesufi to address the crowd were met with boos, forcing him to withdraw.
Police accompanying the protest appeared unable to redirect the march to the approved route.
ActionSA councillor Tshepo Mposula said, “Illegal migration is a problem in our country. People must come into the country legally and when they are here, they need to respect our laws. The government is failing to address these issues.”
Some protesters threatened to return to Hillbrow but later dispersed after moving through parts of the inner city, with tensions easing near a park in Jeppestown.
SAPS spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said, “There were no incident recorded, it was a peaceful march.”
In a Hillbrow apartment people gathered on a staircase to watch as the protesters made their way through the neighbourhood.
In a recent Freedom Day address President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly condemned xenophobia, warning that concerns about migration must not turn into violence or prejudice.
In recent remarks, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has also strongly condemned recent xenophobic incidents in South Africa, describing them as “criminal acts” driven by individuals exploiting socio-economic tensions.
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