‘Police help businesses filled with illegal foreigners’

With some of their members arrested for public violence, residents from the Anthea, Pennyville, Slovo, New Canada and Zamimpilo informal settlements near Soweto have made allegations of assault and police brutality against officers stationed at Langlaagte police station.

The members of the Simunye Movement held a campaign on “foreign invasion of companies in Industria West” and embarked on a march during which they were allegedly cornered and attacked by police officers. The incident last week is now under investigation.

Although members of the Simunye Movement have felt ambushed and attacked because of their “fight” for equal employment, a local company felt the movement’s approach was inappropriate.

Bliss Brand, a manufacturing company with its head office in Industria West, Johannesburg, experienced an attack by members of the movement. Its human resources manager, Amer Iqbal, said they were aware of the movement’s work in distributing memorandums with their demands to companies in the area and were not against it.

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According to Iqbal, on 13 September, about 300 to 500 residents visited their head office, demanding jobs and to meet management.

When management did not respond, the residents pelted the building with bricks.

“They threw bricks and damaged windows and 17 cars in the park,” he said. “We employ South African citizens. Anyone who is a foreign national must hold a valid visa or a permanent residence permit. We do not have any illegal foreign national as an employee.”

Iqbal said it was important to tell their side of the story because these residents claimed they were concerned with employment. This was no way to approach a company, though. “You are expecting the company to meet you, but you damage the company’s property,” he said.

“Apart from the damage, employees are traumatised. This is no way to communicate: by a large group intimidating and be- having violently and aggressively. “It was our good fortune no one was injured.” The matter was reported to Langlaagte police station, he added.

Slovo informal settlement community leader Johannes Radebe claimed residents who lived near Industria West never benefitted from the companies in the area. This was the main reason for the march.

According to Radebe, they decided as members of the community and leaders of the specific wards to approach various companies to address the issue.

“For the past few weeks, we have been marching and speaking with managers from different businesses to consider hiring residents and some were interested and heard us out,” he said. Radebe said community members approached the police to accompany them during the visits and claimed the police refused to accompany them.

“The police refused to accompany us. We were told they cannot do so because the police had good relationships with the firms and do not want that ruined,” he said.

Radebe said in the recent march, they were surrounded and attacked after visiting one of the firms, resulting in 20 people being injured and two in hospital.

“They shot at us with rubber bullets, beat us up and arrested some of our members who did nothing,” he said.

“We were not violent. We just want the companies to hear us out and have people from our communities working for them. That is our mandate.”

Radebe said the police did not want to help them because the police were in cahoots with some of the firms. He claimed they employed unregistered labourers.

“Police provide firms that are unregistered with protection, which is why they refuse to help the community. These firms do not comply with labour laws and are filled with illegal foreigners.”

Tebogo Malatji was one of the residents injured during the alleged attack. Malatji was shot in the back. “When they approached me, I raised my hands in the air, but they attacked me,” he said.

Spokesperson in the Office of the Provincial Commissioner, Gauteng, Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, said the case would be transferred to the Independent Police Investigation Directorate for investigation.

“If members of the community feel there is a crime committed against them by the police, including police brutality, they should open a criminal case,” he said.

– lungas@citizen.co.za