By Thapelo Molefe
Police have rejected claims that they are favouring foreign nationals over South Africans amid violent protests in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, as 30 people have been arrested since Thursday for offences including public violence, malicious damage to property and illegal gatherings.
National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) chairperson Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili said 25 suspects had been arrested in KZN and five in Gauteng. Some of those arrested were allegedly identified as ringleaders threatening to disrupt sporting events in Durban on Saturday.
Responding to concerns that police were more sympathetic towards foreign nationals than South Africans raising grievances, Mosikili said law enforcement agencies acted against criminal conduct regardless of nationality.
“That is not correct. We do have the numbers and statistics on the people that have been arrested across the board,” she said in a briefing on Saturday night.
“You commit crime, we respond. We do not favour any nationality, we do not favour any grouping.”
The arrests come amid unrest involving looting, attacks on businesses, damage to property and vehicles being set alight. Police have increased deployments to prevent further violence and protect communities.
Maximum operational deployments were activated across all nine provinces on Friday. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was activated in KZN to support police, with military personnel also deployed in Gauteng where required.
Mosikili said the deployment of the SANDF was guided by intelligence and operational requirements.
The unrest also prompted threats to disrupt Saturday’s MTN8 final between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed earlier on Saturday that a man known as uMagolide had been arrested for allegedly threatening to shut down the stadium. Police said the suspect had gathered a group of people at King Dinizulu Park to stage a march. The match went ahead without incident.
The protests followed public anger over a court ruling requiring immigration and refugee offices to process asylum applications, including those from people who entered South Africa without visas.
The Department of Home Affairs withdrew a directive issued on 28 September to implement the Constitutional Court ruling, citing pressure on refugee reception offices and threats to public safety.
Addressing concerns that legitimate protests were being exploited by criminal elements, Mosikili said police had observed looting and assaults taking place after some demonstrations had ended.
“From time to time, we do establish that where there would be legitimate demonstrations and marches, later on in a day after the conclusion of such, there will be other activities like looting and assaulting of people,” said Mosikili.
“I don’t believe that those fall within the right to picket, the right to protest, the right to march.”
She said police would respond to criminal activity regardless of whether those involved had participated in a protest.
“We are not fighting with South Africans, we are not fighting as a country, we are restoring law and order,” she said.
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