Thousands of people joined the protest against illegal immigration held by the March and March movement in the Durban CBD on Tuesday.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo / ANA Studio
Security experts have warned foreign nationals who are in the country illegally to comply with the laws of South Africa to ensure their long-term safety. The experts spoke out after thousands of South Africans took to the streets across the country on Tuesday to protest against the presence of illegal immigrants.
Anti-illegal immigrant organisation March and March, which has led the marches, has vowed to hold weekly demonstrations until the issue of illegal immigration is dealt with.
Experts warned that it was impossible for the police and private security to provide the type of blanket security that was offered yesterday during the anti-illegal immigrant marches.
Thousands of police officers, the army, traffic police, and private security were deployed across the province in an effort to prevent any chaos.
Shaheen Suleiman of private security firm, Magma Security noted that the security infrastructure deployed yesterday was limited and expensive.
"If foreign nationals are illegally in the country, they cannot hold the police responsible for their safety. They should consider handing over their shops to someone else in the country while they return home to obtain proper documentation," he said.
Suleiman stated that this is the only way to ensure long-term security, pointing out that it would be irresponsible for a security company to provide security to guard a shop owned by an illegal immigrant.
The police are expected to hold a press briefing on Wednesday, July 1 to announce the way forward for safety and security.
Meanwhile, there were reports of sporadic incidents of break-ins and looting in parts of the province in the early hours of Tuesday morning and late last night.
The incidents confirmed by police included the arrest of five suspects in connection with break-ins at businesses in Woody Glen, in the Mpumalanga township of Hammarsdale, during the early hours of yesterday morning.
Three suspects were apprehended by private security officers while stealing goods from a shop. They were handed over to the police and duly charged. Two more suspects were arrested at Madiba informal settlement in Mountain Rise.
A man was arrested in Thubalethu township, Melmoth, northern KZN for house robbery. He allegedly stormed into a homestead, threatened foreign nationals with a stick, and stole their belongings.
A woman was arrested and charged with assaulting police officers and intimidation, while another man was also arrested for intimidation after police responded to reports of a foreign national being assaulted by a group of people at the Burnwood Kwalimaza informal settlement in Sydenham. When police intervened, the woman assaulted them. The arrested suspects are expected to appear in court soon.
While many small businesses were forced to close due to the anti-immigration protests, the overall impact on the economy remains minimal. Economic experts stated that the peaceful nature of the protest means that affected businesses will quickly recover the lost days.
The protests led to the shutdown of several businesses across various cities. In the Pietermaritzburg area, businesses that typically opened by 7am were still closed by midday. Street traders who usually set up by 6am were nowhere to be seen. In areas such as Harding, key trading areas were closed, with residents reporting they could not go to work because the mall was closed.
Economist Dawie Roodt said the economic impact would be minimal. "The impact has been insignificant, and even if there was an impact, it is relatively easy to recover lost production. We are accustomed to disruptions and adept at recovering lost production; the day itself does not represent a major loss of economic activity unless there is significant damage from violence and vandalism," said Roodt.
However he added that the impact could be felt over time due to the loss of the immigrants' contribution to the economy.
Economist Professor Bonke Dumisa agreed that the impact on the economy would be negligible. He said shops and businesses closed for the day after sensationalist media coverage that painted a picture of impending chaos. He added that businesses would likely start operating normally as from July 1.
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