Alexandra residents return to police station in follow-up protest
Alexandra residents are not backing down. After demanding a leadership overhaul at the local police station, they have returned with a second march to follow up on their demands.
Days after staging a protest at the Alexandra Police Station to deliver their memorandum of demands, Alexandra residents have once again mobilised and led a second march to the station.
According to Dumisani Nkosi, chairperson of the Ziyakhala Movement, the second march was a follow-up to get the SAPS’ response to their initial demands. During the October 8 protest, residents had called for the resignation of the entire leadership of the Alexandra Police Station.
Read more: Residents threaten weekly protests if Alexandra police management doesn’t step down
Their memorandum also demanded that the SAPS provincial office take over operations at the station until management issues are resolved. At the heart of their concerns, residents said the current leadership does not take them seriously.
Acting station commander Colonel Jerry Phaswana assured that their demands would be escalated to the district and provincial offices.
During today’s march, one of the group leaders reiterated that their actions are in the interest of the community. “We have to get what we are asking for. We have brought a memorandum of demands. We are demanding what is right for the community,” said Sihlalo Hlophe, treasurer of the Ziyakhala Movement.
“We are going to make sure that we are safe here in Alexandra, and make sure that the community is safe,” Hlophe said. The marches are about enhancing community safety, not individual interests. He pointed to the involvement of various organisations in the protest.
Also read: Police urge Alexandra residents to help curb violent crime
“It is important that we unite and know what we want. If we don’t know what we want, we will have a problem. I am asking that we work together,” Hlophe said. “We can see that the patrollers are back on our streets and people are getting arrested.”
Nkosi confirmed that the group is set to attend an afternoon meeting on October 16, where they expect to hear SAPS’ response to their demands. He warned that if the meeting does not yield the outcome they are hoping for, he will not stand in the way of the community’s next steps.
“I cannot stop you from doing things your way, whereas they also don’t want to respond to us. Everyone will do as they please,” he said. “This is our last revolution. There will no longer be another one.”
Follow us on our WhatsApp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates!
