Soweto Ndunas have called on the government to address issues of crime, drugs and illegal immigration in the country.
They have raised concerns about government departments and police, whom they accused of turning a blind eye to certain crimes.
The Ndunas, who represented Soweto hostels, were part of hundreds of Soweto marchers in Kliptown calling for foreign nationals to leave the country.
Diepkloof Induna Gama Mpongose says police must do more to fight crime and drugs in the society.
Mpongose says, “We are not turning back, we are moving forward with our protest. We are going to hand our memorandum of griviences at the police station. We protest against crime in the country. We are also concern about drugs killing our children so we say foreigners must leave our country in peace especially Nigerians.”
The march was used to mobilise residents ahead of Tuesday’s protests against illegal immigration.
Shops belonging to foreign nationals are closed.
One of the march leaders, Lumkile Mkhaliphi, says they are mobilising to reclaim South Africa.
“What we are doing is we are doing this peaceful march under March and March. We will march until our country belong to us and it is ours. What we are saying now is illegal immigrants must just evacuate so that we do inner things of course we are mobilising for Tuesday.”
A Bangladeshi businessman, Riyad Hossain, who trades in Kliptown, Soweto, says they fear the anti-illegal immigration march on Tuesday might target foreigners, who are in the country legally.
Hossain, says if the situation gets out of hand they will be forced to leave South Africa.
He also raised concern about the looting.
“We are scared about the violence, so like today we see march to march is meeting but most of the people are looking for the shops to loot so we don’t feel good at the moment. But let’s see it depends on the situation if everything is good, we will stay but otherwise we are going to leave. We are scared about looting.”
Government has urged marchers to exercise their constitutional rights to protest peacefully.
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