Protesters in Bellville again called for foreign traders to be removed permanently from the area, insisting that the campaign would continue until authorities acted on their demands.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ANA Studio
Following the murder of a March and March leader leader in Gauteng, Cape anti-immigrant protest organisers claim they are receiving threats from extortion gangs.
The latest warning comes after another demonstration in Bellville on Wednesday, one of several protests held across the city in recent weeks by civic organisations demanding the removal of what they describe as illegal foreign traders from public trading spaces.
During Wednesday's demonstration in Bellville, protesters again called for foreign traders to be removed permanently from the area, insisting that the campaign would continue until authorities acted on their demands.
The protests have taken place in areas including Bellville, Cape Town CBD and other parts of the metro, with organisers vowing that demonstrations will continue until authorities act on their demands.
Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) Western Cape leader Sipho Mahilili said members of the organisation have been threatened as tensions between protest groups and alleged extortion networks continue to rise.
“We are receiving threats,” Mahilili said, adding that the organisation has become increasingly concerned about the safety of its members.
His comments come amid growing concern following the recent killing of March and March Gauteng leader Andile Mvuyiselwa Somgaxa.
Somgaxa was shot in the driveway of his Greenfield, Johannesburg, home on 3 July and died in hospital 10 days later, on 13 July.
In a message circulated on social media after Wednesday’s protest, Mahilili alleged that those involved in so-called protection fee networks believed activists were intimidated by them.
The post read: “Foreigners think we are scared of protection fee collectors and they are mistaken.”
In another section of the post, Mahilili claimed the group knew who the alleged protection fee collectors were “from Khayelitsha to Gugulethu” and called on supporters to send the names, photographs and addresses of people they believed were involved.
By the time of publication, Constable Ndakhe Gwala from the South African Police Service Western Cape had acknowledged questions but had not yet confirmed whether criminal cases relating to threats, intimidation or assaults linked to the protests had been opened in recent weeks, or what measures were being taken to prevent further escalation.
Top cop Puleng Dimpane.
Image: Image: Phando Jikelo / RSA Parliament
Meanwhile, Acting SAPS National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane has appointed a multidisciplinary team of experienced detectives and crime intelligence officers to investigate the murder of Somgaxa.
Lieutenant-General Dimpane said: “We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding this murder and to ensure accountability.”
In addition, she delivered a firm warning to individuals and groups who persist in harassing, intimidating, and committing violence against foreign nationals, emphasising that such unlawful actions will not be tolerated.