Anti-immigration protesters gather outside Western Cape legislature

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Western Cape legislature in Wale Street, Cape Town, on Tuesday as an anti-illegal-immigration march gained momentum.

The demonstration initially drew a relatively small group of supporters from March and March and Operation Dudula. However, the crowd grew significantly when members of the Labour and Civic Organisation (Laco) joined the march.

According to the organisers, Laco is the organisation that applied for permission to stage Tuesday’s demonstration.

The leadership said they were not protesting but had come to collect a response from the Western Cape government regarding an eight-point memorandum submitted more than two weeks ago.

We came here solely to fetch our response. It has been more than 14 days. We have been writing emails and making calls, but they are not responding. We thought it was time to come and collect that response.

—  Laco leader Sapho Mahilili

The organisers said they had repeatedly emailed and called government officials but had received no response.

Addressing supporters outside the legislature, Laco leader Sapho Mahilili accused the government of failing to address illegal immigration and alleged that public resources were being used to support undocumented migrants.

The group sent a memorandum requesting that undocumented foreigners leave and the city act against those “selling drugs to the youth”.

“We came here solely to fetch our response. It has been more than 14 days. We have been writing emails and making calls, but they are not responding. We thought it was time to come and collect that response,” Mahilili said.

He said leaders from Laco, Operation Dudula, and March and March would meet to discuss their next course of action while awaiting a response from the provincial government.

Several shops were closed in the CBD on Tuesday before the anticipated protest.

TimesLIVE