MK Party not in bed with March and March, but full of praise for movement

The MK Party, which has been at pains to point out it is not in bed with March and March, joined in the anti-immigrant sentiment displayed during a huge show of force in Durban on Wednesday.

Clad in party regalia and wielding knobkerries, shields and Jacob Zuma cut-outs, the 3,000-strong crowd — which also included March and March loyalists — marched from Curries Fountain stadium to city hall in a deathly quiet CBD.

The march, billed as a stand against “service delivery, nepotism and anti-corruption”, was the party’s broadside into local government electioneering in eThekwini.

Outside the city hall MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo rebuked President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, saying they must stop abusing the March and March movement because it is fighting for a good cause.

Shortly after handing over a memorandum of demands to eThekwini municipality officials including mayor Cyril Xaba, who didn’t address the crowd, Nomvalo said they are fully behind the March and March movement.

“Anyone who says all illegal migrants must leave the country is correct, so there is no need to challenge people who are pushing that campaign,” he said.

Nomvalo said the MK Party will boycott Ramaphosa in parliament after the Constitutional Court ruling over the Phala Phala matter.

He said they are not going to sit in parliament and listen to a criminal.

Nomvalo also said they are fully behind KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who exposed the rot in the police system.

Nomvalo warned there were criminal elements within the ANC and police who were determined to ensure some MK Party senior members would not participate in the upcoming elections.

He said the country is “shaking” because of Mkhwanazi.

He said they were determined to clean up corruption in the municipality soon after they win local government elections on November 4.

He said people will be employed on merit and not through political allegiance once they take over.

Last week Nomvalo said the party wanted to make it clear they are not in bed with the March and March movement, which has embarked on countrywide marches calling for undocumented foreigners to immediately leave the country.

The protest movement has gained traction, causing friction with neighbouring countries who have accused South Africa of being xenophobic.

This has led to countries such as Ghana chartering flights to repatriate its nationals from the country, with Nigeria planning similar repatriation efforts.

Nomvalo said they believed the movement was holding peaceful protests allowed by the constitution.

March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma launched a scathing attack on the government.

“The government is failing our people while focusing on illegal immigrants instead of fixing the problems affecting South Africans,” said Ngobese-Zuma.

Many businesses were closed as protesters made their way from the stadium to Durban City Hall.

A large police contingency was on high alert to monitor the situation amid fears that it might degenerate into chaos.

Amabhinca Nation president Ngizwe Mchunu and Phakel’umthakathi Ndabandaba were not in Durban as they were leading a march in Nkandla, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, which also had a big turnout.

There have been similar marches across the country as the campaign to root out illegal immigrants gains momentum.

March and March confirmed it will proceed with its planned national shutdown on June 30, the date by which it wants all illegal immigrants to leave the country.

The deadline followed a meeting with ministers from the justice, crime prevention and security clusters to address the escalating protests against illegal immigration across the nation.

In his address to the nation on Sunday on the rising anti-immigrant sentiment, Ramaphosa vowed that police will not tolerate any anarchy on June 30.