Metro cops: We didn’t receive objection to Kya Sands march
FOURWAYS - The dust is yet to settle in the Kya Sands area following a march on 12 October which left a trail of destruction and tension in the communities and a sour taste in the mouths of those who initially objected to the protest.
The business community and property owners falling within the route of the march are accusing the protesters of vandalising their properties. They also say they were beaten up by protesters, mostly from the nearby squatter camp along the Malibongwe belt.
A businessman in the area, Keith Horwood, said the marchers’ intimidation brought his business operations to a standstill. “Our company and virtually all other companies in Kya Sands have come to a standstill today because of threats and intimidation by the… marchers,” said Horwood in a letter of complaint to Douglasdale Police Station commander, Brigadier Lettie Hugo.
One businessman, identified only as Clive, said his workers had to fight their way to work through a hostile crowd of marchers. “My operations manager was attacked by a group who bashed the bonnet of his vehicle with a golf club,” he fumed.
Meanwhile, Hugo said the march was approved by the Joburg Metro department responsible for public events and gatherings, despite her misgivings about the protest. “The march was approved, even after Douglasdale SAPS presented the threats, as received from the community, at the section 4 meeting,” she said.
Ward councillor, Matome Mafokwane, was equally irate about the approval of the march which he described as ‘improper’.
“I can’t understand how the march was approved in the face of objections from all other stakeholders, and without the necessary documents detailing names and contact details of organisers of the march. I wrote a letter of objection as well to the municipal manager,” said Mafokwane.
However, spokeswoman for Joburg Metro, Edna Mamonyane, dismissed the complaints ‘as out of order’. Mamonyane said no letters of objection were presented during a security cluster meeting which approved the march.
“There is no objection letter in our records. We have all the documents about the intention to march. The Gatherings Act gives people the right to march,” said Mamonyane in an exclusive interview with Fourways Review. She urged those who were violated by the marchers to approach the police and open charges against the organisers of the march.
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