March and March leaders say protest will continue until 'results' are seen
“The march is not over because we haven't seen its results. It will only be over once we see the results and the national leaders of March and March tell us that it's over."
Leaders of the March and March demonstrations in Benoni say their campaign against illegal immigration will continue until they see what they describe as tangible results.
As part of the nationwide Abahambe March campaign, thousands of demonstrators, predominantly men, gathered outside the Actonville Hostel before marching through the area and into the Benoni CBD.
Many participants carried knobkerries, sticks, tree trunks, golf clubs and baseball bats as they called for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. The demonstration concluded at the Benoni Police Station.
The procession passed through residential, industrial and commercial areas, stopping at locations organisers identified as crime hotspots. The march remained largely peaceful, with police and private security personnel monitoring the route throughout the day.
At the Benoni Police Station, protest leaders handed over their grievances, raising concerns about undocumented foreign nationals, illegal mining, drug-related crime and alleged police corruption.
Police management acknowledged the concerns, said they would be investigated and encouraged residents to report criminal activity and corruption through the appropriate official channels.
Although Tuesday’s demonstration has ended, Benoni march leaders said their campaign will continue beyond the June 30 protest. They said the movement’s leadership will determine the next course of action should they believe their concerns have not been adequately addressed by the relevant authorities.
One of the march leaders, Alson Ndwandwe, said, “We will await directives from the movement’s national leadership on the way forward.”
Ndwandwe said the group’s concerns include allegations of drug dealing by Nigerian nationals in Benoni, as well as overcrowding in schools, which the movement attributes to foreign learners.
“The march is not over because we haven’t seen its results. It will only be over once we see the results and the national leaders of March and March tell us that it’s over. When our leaders say it’s not over, we’ll continue where we left off,” he said.
“The march will only be over when undocumented foreigners have left the country. They have to return to their countries. We are fixing our forefathers’ nation. They must go fix their own countries so that we can be left to fix ours in peace.”
Also Read: In Pictures: today’s march over undocumented immigrants in Benoni
Escorted by a heavy police and private security presence, demonstrators sang militant isiZulu struggle songs, including Namhlanje Elamanqamu (“Today is the Final Day”), while chanting slogans against illegal immigration.
While police and march organisers anticipated possible unrest along Lake Avenue, the front of the procession unexpectedly diverted into Rothsay Street, catching law enforcement by surprise.
Some protesters then ran into Benoni Plaza before dispersing to nearby buildings, including Africa House in Cranbourne Avenue, which protesters alleged was a hotspot for drug dealing and other criminal activity.
The situation briefly escalated in and around the plaza, where some protesters smashed shop windows and threw bricks at buildings. Police officers and march leaders intervened, bringing the situation under control.
Before the demonstrators dispersed and returned towards Actonville, Emandleni and Wattville, police fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd that had remained in the Benoni CBD. No injuries were reported.
Ndwandwe described the demonstration as largely peaceful despite the isolated incidents.
“We had a peaceful march from Wattville to the CBD via Emandleni. But when we got to town, we had a small incident of misbehaviour. You can control people to a certain degree, but there’ll always be a few that get out of order. They smashed some windows but, other than that, we had things under control,” he said.
Following the march, small groups of protesters were still seen in parts of the Benoni CBD, Actonville Hostel, Wattville and Emandleni carrying sticks and knobkerries, while police maintained a visible presence and continued patrolling the affected areas.
