JOHANNESBURG - A group of anti-illegal migration protesters targeted businesses in Germiston on Wednesday, demanding to verify if the firms have employed any undocumented migrants.
Police were called to disperse the crowd, noting that the demonstrators had no permission to gather at the site.
However, the residents argued that previous attempts to address the issue with local police have fallen on deaf ears. They claim to have previously submitted memorandums to the local police station to highlight their plight, alleging that they remain unemployed because local firms were hiring undocumented migrants.
A resident, who spoke to eNCA, said that they had a meeting with several firm owners three weeks ago and that Wednesday's gathering was a follow-up.
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“We are not here to fight with undocumented migrants. We just all need to work. Why are the police threatening to shoot us when we just want jobs?” the resident asked.
City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson, Phakamile Mbengashe, said that the memorandum presented by the demonstrators was the same one used during a protest on 30 June.
“What is happening here cannot be allowed because they are harassing different firms,” Mbengashe said.
“We do agree that illegal immigration is wrong and people must have their papers, but there is an authority that handles this. It is the Department of Home Affairs. They should come and verify if people are here illegally or not. Protesters cannot take the law into their own hands. We cannot allow lawlessness.”
Mbengashe added that the City is currently verifying whether local businesses are compliant and operating within the confines of the law.
“What we can’t have is a situation where production and manufacturing are disturbed. The economy is trying to pick up again, so we cannot have such disturbances,” he concluded.