MK Party Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo says the party distances itself from March and March but supports the right to protest, while linking the movement to concerns over crime, immigration enforcement and police failures
Image: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has backed the “March and March” movement, saying its actions are fully protected under the Constitution, while also distancing itself from formally aligning with it and linking it to concerns about crime, policing failures and illegal immigration.
Addressing the media on Thursday following a national officials’ meeting in Durban, MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo said the party had taken note of the movement but insisted it had not formally aligned itself with it.
“We recognise the March and March movement and the concerns it raises for our communities. The voices of the people must be heard, and we acknowledge the role such movements play in bringing these issues to the centre of our national discourse,'' Nomvalo said.
However, he stressed that the party had not endorsed it, saying, “The MK Party has neither formally aligned itself with nor endorsed March and March.”
Nomvalo said the party supports the constitutional right to peaceful protest and mass mobilisation, adding that it would not restrict its supporters from participating in demonstrations.
He also said immigration must be addressed strictly within the framework of the law, adding that those in the country unlawfully should consider voluntary repatriation.
“Regarding March and March, in our belief, everything that March and March does is within the constitutional parameters. There’s absolutely nothing which they do which is illegal.”
He added that the movement is responding to crime in communities, saying, “If anything, they are dealing with crime, which the police have failed dismally to deal with.”
Nomvalo claimed that illegal immigration has contributed to insecurity in some areas, saying, “Foreigners, illegal foreigners, have taken over some areas or some parts of our towns and cities, and they’ve reduced them to nothing but centres of crime.”
He said the MK Party believes the movement is targeting illegal immigration rather than legal migrants, adding, “They are fighting against people who have broken the law. If you are called an illegal immigrant, it means you have broken the law because you are here illegally in this country. You are not supposed to be here.”
Nomvalo further alleged that some undocumented migrants are linked to organised crime, saying, “What they do, they steal cars here and cross the borders with those cars. It’s not easy to trace them. They come here and establish drug cartels and criminal syndicates.”
He questioned compliance with immigration procedures, saying, “If you come here with good intentions in South Africa, why do you not register with Home Affairs? What are you hiding? It means you are coming here in bad faith.”
Nomvalo said the MK Party “sympathises with the stance of March and March unapologetically,” adding, “Because we believe that they stand for the correct thing, which the MK Party also stands for. We are against illegal immigrants. Unapologetically so.”
He stressed that the party supports the constitutional right to protest, saying demonstrations are regulated through lawful processes and police engagement.
Nomvalo said, “Protesting in this country is constitutional. I’ve never heard of March and March organising illegal protests.”
He explained that protests are preceded by formal procedures involving law enforcement, saying, “Before you embark on a march, there is a meeting which is convened called Section 4 between the marcher and the police. That’s where protocol is discussed. And protocol is a responsibility of the police.”
He said failure by authorities to manage protests cannot be attributed to organisers, stating, “If the police fail to contain those people when they protest, then that means they are weak. It means the police are weak.”
Nomvalo added that policing failures should not be used to delegitimise protest action, saying, “We can’t suffocate March and March for the failure of the police to enforce order during this protest.”
He argued that lawful protest requires notification to authorities, saying, “If they had bad intentions or bad motives of embarking on illegal protests, they were never going to apply for these marches or issue any notice for that matter.”
Nomvalo concluded that, in the MK Party’s view, the movement operates within legal and constitutional boundaries and should not be restricted
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