Statement by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town,
Alderman Patricia de Lille
City obtains interdict to stop illegal protest
The City of Cape Town has successfully obtained an interdict from the
Western Cape High Court, preventing the Cape Town Informal
Settlements Organisation from proceeding with their plans to host an
illegal protest tomorrow.
The City approached the Cape High Court as a last resort to avoid a
repeat of the violent incidents that unfolded during a protest organised by
the same group a few weeks ago after the leaders of the organisation
vowed to continue with the march despite not having a permit as is
required by law.
I appeal to the organisers of the illegal protest to respect the court
interdict.
One of the senior leaders of the group and ANC Councillor in the City of
Cape Town, Loyiso Nkohla, is quoted in today’s media reports saying that:
‘…we will only stop the march if a court of law says so.’
Now that the court has spoken, I hope that Nkohla and his colleagues will
no longer continue with their plans as this would be a blatant disregard of
the rule of law.
The City reaffirms its respect for the right of groups to demonstrate.
However such demonstrations must be within the confines of the law and
not at the risk of infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens and
destroying public and private property.
The City remains committed to engaging different organisations and
individuals that are determined to find solutions for challenges that we
face.
There are numerous platforms for constructive engagements to address
concerns raised by different communities.
To this end, I welcome the call by prominent Capetonians encouraging
political activists to desist from using violence to express their concerns.
It is worth noting that ANC in the Western Cape and City of Cape Town
have once again paid lip-service to the Cape Town Informal Settlement
Organisation’s threats of violence, in the lead-up to the illegal protest,
given that some of their prominent members are involved in arranging
the said demonstration.
We all need to work together to create a peaceful environment to engage
each other on what needs to be done to make this great city even
greater.