Confusion reigns at planned march
Ward 66 councillor, Clr Carlos da Rocha, said after waiting for the chairman of the CCPF, members of the Women’s Forum proceeded with the march without the chairman.
A march organised by the Cleveland Community Police Forum (CCPF) against crime failed to happen on March 14.
Members from areas such as Denver, Cleveland, Heriotdale, Malvern, Kensington, Bruma, Cyrildene and Dewetshof were all supposed to be part of the march.
The marchers were meant to assemble at Alexander Park at 11am. An hour later, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) were meant to guide the marchers into First Street towards the south into Jules Street. In Jules Street, marchers would then turn east towards the Cleveland SAPS, where the memorandum would have been handed over to Colonel Bongani Dlamini at 1pm.
Things failed to proceed as planned due to confusion about a number of things. First was the assembly point; some marchers claimed that the assembly point was not properly communicated to them. The march was meant to consist of all members of the community, regardless of their political affiliation.
Ward 66 councillor, Clr Carlos da Rocha, said after waiting for the chairman of the CCPF, members of the Women’s Forum proceeded with the march without the chairman.
“The march was badly organised. This should have been the community united against all sorts of crime. The Women’s Forum could not locate the chairman. The chairman had asked that political parties could attend. It is infuriating; it is not our fault that the DA showed up. We were supposed to be united, regardless of political affiliation,” said Clr Da Rocha.
The chairman of the CCPF, Mr Godfrey Mothibe, said he was shocked at what took place at the march.
“Why did the DA members proceed with the march without the memorandum? What were they going to hand over at the Cleveland SAPS?” asked Mr Mothibe.
He said the DA members had attended the march on their own accord. “They are the ones who instructed their members to move ahead. They had no tolerance. I tried to tell them to wait for us, as we had the memorandum, but they went ahead,” said Mr Mothibe.
He said they had to relay information to members of the community that they should assemble at Alexander Street, not as initially agreed which was at the corner of Blore and Jules Streets.
“As we were advising members to move to Alexander Park, members mostly from the DA, were already marching along Jules Street without any command from the conveners of the march. Consequently, I had to intervene and stopped the march, requesting that we move back to Alexander Park,” said Mr Mothibe. He said the Provincial Head of the SAPS, along with the JMPD, requested that they postpone or cancel the march. Ward 118 councillor, Clr Allison van der Molen, described what happened as political prejudice.
“The invitation to march was opened to all members of the community, not specific political parties. The DA brought out support and people waited for the chairman at the assembly point, but he had disappeared. The JMPD’s time was being wasted. The person who holds the position of chairman should be apolitical; instead he was discriminatory,” said Clr van der Molen.
Councillor Victor Penning, who is the deputy chairperson of the Constituency Committee and the Public Relations Councillor for Ward 61 and 65, said what happened was unacceptable.
“We waited for the chairman. At 10am, we marched. It is disgusting, the chairman is supposed to be non-political, but played a political card. He blocked traffic and tried to stop the march. It was obvious that he had a political motive. The JMPD disappeared and we marched until we reached the Cleveland SAPS,” said Clr Penning.
The chairman of the CCPF said members of the community will be briefed at the next meeting to be held on April 2 at the Cleveland Station Hall at 6.30pm.
