CAPE TOWN, June 11– An anti-immigration march scheduled for Saturday in Cape Town has drawn opposition from the South African National Civic Organization (SANCO) and community leaders, local media reported on Thursday.
The planned march in Dunoon is being promoted on social media under the banner of a “Dunoon Community Peaceful March” and is reportedly supported by several groups against illegal immigration. SANCO and local community leaders have urged organizers to cancel the demonstration, warning that it could heighten tensions and undermine stability in the area.
Some residents expressed concern that anti-immigration campaigns elsewhere in the country had been accompanied by violence, intimidation and the displacement of foreign nationals. “It will be chaos,” a community representative was quoted as saying by local media.
SANCO leaders said concerns over illegal immigration should be addressed through law-enforcement authorities rather than by community groups, while local religious and civic leaders warned that the march could damage social cohesion in the township.
According to local media, the Western Cape provincial government has also urged communities to avoid intimidation and violence. “Nobody has the right to assault, intimidate or harass anyone,” Anroux Marais, provincial MEC (member of the Executive Council) for Cultural Affairs and Sport, was quoted as saying.
Last weekend, the Malawi government began assisting citizens wishing to return home, with two buses carrying about 150 Malawian nationals departing from Western Cape Province.
Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have also organized repatriation flights and transport after raising concerns about anti-immigrant violence in South Africa.
In a national address on Sunday evening, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged concerns around illegal immigration but warned against vigilantism and attempts by private groups to enforce immigration laws. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
