Shops shut as anti-immigrant protesters march through Durban

Ngizwa Mchunu, one of the leaders of the march, on a horse. Photos: Joseph Bracken

More than 1,000 people took part in a protest by anti-immigrant group March and March in Durban on Wednesday.

The marchers walked from King Dinuzulu Park to Point Road, finishing at Gugu Dlamini Park. Other groups, including representatives of the MK and ActionSA parties, joined the protest.

The group began marching at around 11 am. By the time they reached the city hall, halfway to Point Road, the number of protesters had risen to over 1,000.

Almost all the stores along the protesters’ route was shut.

Some protesters threw rocks and kicked storefronts. They shouted insults at reporters trying to film and photograph the march, and grabbed GroundUp’s camera several times.

At Point Road, the protesters demanded that police check buildings in the area for people they say are undocumented immigrants operating as drug dealers. One person from these buildings was arrested by SAPS.

Some of the protesters broke a gate at the back of one of the buildings, trying to get in.

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, the leader of March and March, told the media that legal immigrants have nothing to worry about and that they should also make their voices heard about illegal immigration in South Africa. “We don’t have a problem with people coming into the country. We keep on saying that.”

She said, “Immigrants must “come in legally, the same way we always go to other countries.”

“The protesters don’t hate foreigners, they just want them to go home,” said Mlungisa Duma, a member of the MK Party. “We want to make sure that our government does listen to our call when we tell them that there are drugs in some buildings in town.”

Metro Police spokesperson Victor Zungu said the protest had been peaceful and shopkeepers had closed their businesses voluntarily. No incidents of violence had been reported, he said.

The protest was still continuing at the time of publication.

Many protesters had traditional weapons.

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