DURBAN – March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has blamed vagrants for violence during protests in Durban’s CBD, distancing the movement from any violence.
The KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban is set to hear an application to prevent March and March from protesting in eThekwini.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have already secured an interim interdict against the movement. The court will now consider whether to make the order final.
The interim interdict was granted following threats to burn down a refugee centre in the city.
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Speaking to eNCA outside the court, where March and March members had gathered, Ngobese-Zuma denied that the movement's supporters were responsible for violence during protests in Durban.
Instead, she blamed people living on the streets in the inner city.
Her comments come despite the arrest of several March and March supporters last month on charges related to inciting violence.
“There are a lot of vagrants that live in the city. So if you're going to say every single time, they decide to do something that is going to be blamed on March and March, then you have to prove it,” Ngobese-Zuma said.
“If the government or the police feel like there are members of March and March or anyone that is doing wrong at the time that they are there, why wouldn't they arrest that person? Why would you wait until you have some court interdict because you're there? What is your job?”
Earlier this month, three March and March members – Wandile Nsibande, 37, Sphelele Magolide Shinga, 40, and Malizo Dzanibe, 31 – were arrested outside the Home Affairs Durban Refugee Reception Centre.
They face charges of incitement to commit public violence, public violence, and acting in a riotous or physically threatening manner. They are all out on bail.
At least 11 cars were torched in Durban earlier this month when violence broke out during anti-illegal immigration protests.
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The arrests followed a week-long protest against illegal immigration and the Constitutional Court's recent ruling on asylum seekers' applications.
Ngobese-Zuma also questioned why the police had approached the courts over the alleged bomb threat instead of arresting those responsible.
“If there is a bomb scare, the police have a responsibility to arrest whoever it is that they feel is having that bomb or is making that bomb threat. What are they waiting for? Why would we rush to court when you have a bomb threat instead of dealing with it as police?” she said.