By Zororai Nkomo
South African anti-illegal immigration movement March and March has given the eThekwini Municipality 14 days to remove foreign nationals living along Che Guevara Road in Durban, escalating tensions over immigration, homelessness and the use of public spaces.
The organisation’s legal arm, South Africa First Forum, has written to the municipality demanding that authorities enforce municipal by-laws and remove the foreign nationals from the area.
It also called on the relevant government departments to engage the countries of origin of the affected foreign nationals and arrange their repatriation at the expense of their respective governments.
In its letter, the organisation claimed that the presence of foreign nationals along Che Guevara Road had negatively affected businesses, contributed to declining sales and the closure of some businesses, while alleging that crime in the area had increased.
March and March, however, acknowledged that some of the foreign nationals could be in South Africa legally.
It said their human rights should be protected regardless of their immigration status and argued that people with genuine refugee claims should be accommodated through the appropriate refugee system.
The organisation also raised concerns about the growing number of homeless people living in open spaces, particularly in Durban’s central business district.
It argued that homelessness was damaging the city’s image as a tourist destination and said authorities had a responsibility to ensure that public spaces were properly maintained while restoring the dignity of homeless people.
The eThekwini Municipality said the demand for the removal and repatriation of the foreign nationals was misplaced because immigration matters fall under the national Department of Home Affairs.
Mayoral spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa said authorities had already conducted verification checks on the people living in the area.
According to Mntungwa, the verification process found that none of those checked were in South Africa illegally.
He said the affected people had been offered a choice between reintegrating into their communities or being taken to the Lindela Repatriation Centre, but had not selected either option.
The latest ultimatum follows a confrontation last week between March and March members and foreign nationals living on the sidewalks of Che Guevara Road.
What was intended as a clean-up operation turned violent, with a foreign national arrested after a police officer was allegedly struck with a rock.
The launch of South Africa First Forum in August marked an expansion of March and March’s activities into the legal arena. The organisation was founded by former radio personality Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and has campaigned strongly against illegal immigration.
