UPDATE: Fear mounts as residents anticipate more #VryheidViolentProtests

Zululand Cluster SAPS will deploy members of Public Order Policing (POP) to Vryheid from tomorrow morning.

This follows a tip-off to Crime Intelligence that protestors, who marched illegally from Bhekuzulu to the municipal building on Market Street last week, were planning more mass action on Friday.

At first, it was believed that protestors would begin gathering from tomorrow night and would march into town on Friday morning. However, information received later indicated that a ‘surprise march’ could take place tomorrow.

While the activist who organised the previous illegal protest, Smangaliso Zwane, claimed he knew nothing of another march being planned, a resident of Bhekuzulu told the Vryheid Herald that there were community meetings taking place where the possibility of another illegal march was being discussed.

“This is just the calm before a major storm,” he said. “It is rumoured that the next march is intended to completely shut down the municipality until the Bhekuzulu community receives answers to the questions it posed in its memorandum.”

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Municipal manager, Bonga Ntanzi, confirmed that nobody had made an application for a legal march but admitted that he had beefed up security after hearing rumours that an illegal march may take place.

“We just need to take precautions so that we are not taken by surprise,” he said. “I will intensify my security at the municipality as from tomorrow.”

While mayor, Jerry Sibiya, said he hoped to have answers to the allegations posed by the protestors in their memorandum, by Friday, Mr Ntanzi indicated that he would not be entertaining the contents of the memorandum at all.

“I looked at the memorandum, the insults that were made and the unsubstantiated allegations,” said Mr Ntanzi. “The memorandum is full of fabricated lies by Smanga and his friends, just to get attention. There is nothing you can do with that memorandum. It is just ridiculous. It says half the women appointed at the municipality are the speaker’s girlfriends. How do you deal with that one? If you want to address that memorandum, where do you start?”

He went on to explain, “There are no issues between the community and AbaQulusi Municipality. Smanga wants us to fire a director. We can’t fire a director without a due process. You have got to have a disciplinary process and the person must have broken municipal law. Someone who writes stories on Facebook cannot be said to have broken any law at the municipality so the demand that the protestors made on 24 January can’t be met. People must be warned that this is dangerous. They are being used by people who are angry and who have got their own personal agendas.”

With the possibility of further violence looming, Mr Ntanzi urged residents to be vigilant with regards to safety.

“I urge the hawkers who are selling their stuff on the pavement to be very, very careful, because last time, we heard that their produce was stolen. They must find ways to secure their stuff out of the way of the illegal marchers. We don’t want them to suffer. We know they are trying to make an honest living. They must not get their stuff destroyed or stolen by illegal marchers.

“Shopkeepers must also take precautions so that their businesses are not disturbed.

“The schools, however, must not shut down. We would not like to have schooling disrupted by an illegal march. It is not going to be fair to do that to our children, but SAPS will be requested to intensify the security around schools and we will also get the municipality’s security to patrol areas around the schools and municipality.”

Mr Ntanzi’s message to the Bhekuzulu community is that they should not allow themselves to be, “used by opportunists.”

“The community must be aware that an illegal march has consequences. Right now there is damage to municipal property and the video footage taken by police identifies those who have participated in those marches. They will be liable for the damage that was suffered. In this country, you can have a legal march and it is acceptable. You apply for it, you get permission and you are assisted to have it as peacefully as possible. There is no need for an illegal march because no one will stop a legal march. It is your democratic, right entrenched in our constitution… But if you participate in illegal marches, the police are forced to disperse those with rubber bullets and other means, which may result in injuries,” warned Mr Ntanzi.

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Cllr Sibiya said an illegal march is completely unfair to the town and its residents.

“Preventing people from going to work or conducting business, puts pressure on the town during a very hard time of financial crisis across South Africa. Everybody wants to make ends meet. This pressure on business creates a problem because people won’t be able to pay their bills. It is uncalled for. They don’t understand the cost of this thing,” pleaded Cllr Sibiya.

“My advice is that residents should be vigilant but they must not stay away from work. On our side, as the municipality, we have already taken some steps to protect service delivery. We are going to beef up security so that services can continue as normal. At the same time, we have joined hands with the SAPS and POP will be on standby from tomorrow. I am deeply apologising to the community. They get affected but this is not our making. We also say, ‘Stay calm. God is there.’ He is the one who is going to save all of us from this turmoil, but be aware that it is election time and everybody is riled up.”

Contrary to what Mr Ntanzi said about the memorandum issued by the Bhekuzulu residents, Cllr Sibiya promised to provide the Bhekuzulu community with feedback on the issues they raised by Monday, at the latest.

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