March and March leader Jacinta Zinhle Ngobese-Zuma has accused police officers deployed in Durban of threatening protesters with firearms and preventing them from moving along a road following a demonstration.
In a statement, Ngobese-Zuma alleged that the incident occurred after protesters had handed over a memorandum and reached their intended endpoint near Moore Road.
She said the group had planned to turn down another road to allow motorcycles travelling behind them to turn, but were allegedly stopped by police officers carrying firearms.
“Next thing the Apartheid 2.0 police from outside the province that have been sent by Cyril Ramaphosa to shoot us stood on the road with guns refusing to let us pass and threatening to shoot us,” she said.
Ngobese-Zuma accused President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration of using the police and military to suppress demonstrations. She described the government’s actions as authoritarian and criticised the resources being spent on policing protests rather than addressing border security concerns.
Claims of legal action against protesters
Ngobese-Zuma further claimed that police had informed the group that they intended to approach the courts in a bid to restrict its right to protest.
She also alleged that a specialised prosecution process had been established at the Durban Magistrate’s Court to prosecute members of March and March.
The claims have not been independently verified, and details of the alleged court proceedings and specialised prosecution arrangements were not provided in her statement.
The right to assemble and demonstrate peacefully is protected by South Africa’s Constitution, subject to applicable legal requirements.
Ngobese-Zuma said she would continue speaking out against what she views as attempts to silence the movement.
Her comments come amid tensions surrounding protests organised by March and March, which has campaigned on issues including immigration and border control.
The police and the Presidency had not provided a response to the allegations in the information available at the time of publication.
