JOHANNESBURG - The National Joint Operation and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINT) has issued a stern warning against violent protest, vigilantism and unlawful enforcement of immigration laws.
During a media briefing on Wednesday in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape following incidents of lawlessness that included attacks, the chairperson of NATJOINT, Tebello Mosikili, said such criminal conduct can not be justified.
According to Mosikili, over the past week, 166 individuals in the Free State were arrested for offences linked to public violence and related criminal activities.
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Meanwhile, in the Western Cape, five people have been arrested in connection with incidents of violence and intimidation.
Mosikili stressed that South Africa is governed by the Constitution and the rule of law, not by intimidation, violence, ultimatums, or mob justice.
As such, she said no one is allowed to take the law into their own hands.
"The responsibility for maintaining public order, combating crime, and enforcing immigration legislation rests exclusively with duly authorised law enforcement agencies acting within the confines of the Constitution and the law," she said.
Mosikili reiterated that violence is not activism and Intimidation is not community protection.
“Criminal conduct remains criminal conduct, regardless of the cause in whose name it is committed," she added.