GEORGE NEWS - Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and George Mayor Browen Johnson met with the Thembalethu Police and neighbourhood watch representatives at the Thembalethu Police Station on Friday night, 19 June, ahead of the 30 June anti-illegal immigrant demonstrations being planned by the March and March citizen movement and other civil groups.
This was an oversight visit, during which readiness for possible actions on 30 June was one of the issues discussed. However, as of yesterday, 24 June, the George Municipality had not yet received any applications for protest marches.
A peaceful march had been held on Friday by the community leadership group, Thembalethu Qina Mhlali (TQM), from Thembalethu to the Garden Route District Municipality, after which a memorandum requesting stricter enforcement of immi-gration laws was handed over to the various authorities.
Friday evening's meeting with the premier and mayor included the Thembalethu Police Station's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sipho Dyani, and Garden Route District's police commissioner, Major General Phumzile Cetyana. This was followed by a walkabout in the streets.
In a video the mayor posted on his Facebook page afterwards, he emphasised that the safety of everyone in Thembalethu and the larger George is a top priority amid the current tensions. He told George Herald that he has full confidence in the local law enforcement agencies. He committed to collaborating with the police where needed and making municipal resources such as halls and CCTV cameras available, should the need arise.
Winde said citizens may exercise their constitutional right to protest, but without taking away others' rights. "Things must remain peaceful. We must allow protest, but it must take place within the rules."
Responding to a question about the TQM memorandum demands, the premier said an action plan has been in place for some time. "At national level, part of that action plan is to phase out the old green ID books, because that is where much of the fraud and corruption occurs. Another priority is to improve control over our borders.
"But we must be clear about one thing: I am very supportive of people who come from other places to help build this country. However, you must go through the proper process and have your documentation in order. People from anywhere in the world are welcome. Just make sure your paperwork is in order."
R600m for operational readiness
During a media briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, the acting police minister, Firoz Cachalia, said R600m has been made available for operational readiness on 30 June.
Comprehensive deployment plans are in place to protect communities, critical infrastructure and key public spaces. The South African National Defence Force may also be called in if the situation escalates.
Cachalia said: "Criminality, intimidation, violence, the destruction of property and any attempt to undermine public safety will not be tolerated."
He told the media in Cape Town on Tuesday that the majority of the 30 marches that have taken place in the Western Cape to date had been peaceful. Seven had turned violent.
George Herald recently reported on various local arrests of undocumented foreign nationals. The paper has approached Correctional Services (CS) and the police about the additional case loads these arrests are causing, to ask CS how many, if any, undocumented foreign nationals are being or have been detained in the George prison, the average duration of their stay and the impact it has had on the prison's capacity.
The paper also requested figures from the police for the arrests of undocumented foreign nationals in recent months, and what impact these have had on the police's detention capacity. These are being awaited.
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