The Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia march went ahead on Saturday, 26 March, despite the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s earlier attempt to prohibit it. About 500 people walked through the inner city to hand over a memorandum against xenophobia at the Hillbrow and Johannesburg Central police stations.
That the Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia march could go ahead on Saturday, 26 March — despite an earlier prohibition of the event by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department — is not only a victory for the coalition itself, but for all civil society organisations that have struggled against prohibitions on their gatherings. It was significant in demonstrating that the right to protest, as one of the main tools such organisations have, is still protected and guaranteed.
“[The march] is very much important as we are seeing the likes of your Operation Dudula gaining momentum in our communities, penetrating different movements and communities and making sure that they push this narrative and these xenophobic tendencies,” Moyo toldThreats and a potential backlash from Operation Dudula, the anti-foreigner movement, were some of the JMPD’sfor initially prohibiting the march.
“[W]e’re focusing on addressing the South African Police Service [SAPS], and I think it’s in particular because of the way in which we were treated when we did inform them that we are wanting to march, a peaceful march to denounce xenophobia,” said Sharon Ekambaram of Lawyers for Human Rights, another representative of the movement.
“We are marching today to register our rejection of the actions of ‘Operation Dudula’ and all other such acts — whether verbal or physical — that are dividing Africans on our continent by spreading hatred, xenophobia, division, greed and violence. These acts have continued in many instances with impunity,” stated the memorandum.
President Cyril Ramaphosa leads with the implementation of the national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other intolerance.
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