How Mitchells Plain police are ensuring safety for foreign nationals before June 30 protests
Members of March and March during a protest in Wynberg as tensions continue ahead of the planned June 30 anti-immigration demonstrations.
Image: Lilita Gcwabe
As tensions rise nationally ahead of the June 30 anti-immigration protest, Mitchells Plain police have urged foreign nationals to take safety precautions after a crucial meeting addressing their fears.
SAPS spokesperson Thembakazi Mpendukana confirmed the local station commander met a group of foreign nationals at the police station to discuss safety concerns.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, June 23, came amid growing anxiety among Malawians and other foreign nationals over what could unfold on June 30, when anti-immigration groups are expected to demonstrate in parts of the country.
Mpendukana said: "This office can confirm that the Station Commander of Mitchells Plain SAPS engaged with a group of foreign nationals at the police station to discuss safety concerns amid anti-illegal immigrant tensions. No violence erupted during this meeting, and no arrests were made."
According to information shared from the meeting, police advised those who attended to take precautionary measures from June 29, including not opening their shops and remaining indoors where possible.
Those present were also told that if they experience threats, intimidation, or harassment from South Africans, they should immediately report the matter to police.
A Wynberg resident shouts “abahambe", meaning "they must go”, during a March and March protest in Wynberg linked to calls for action against undocumented foreign nationals.
Image: Lilita Gcwabe
Police further indicated that people who feel unsafe in their current locations may seek shelter at the Mitchells Plain police station. Attendees were told that assistance would be available regardless of whether a person had legal documentation.
The meeting has since drawn attention on social media and in media reports, with some claiming that foreign nationals approached the station due to fears linked to the June 30 demonstrations.
The concerns come against the backdrop of heightened debate over undocumented foreign nationals, immigration enforcement, spaza shops, and threats of disruption in some communities.
The Mitchells Plain engagement also came after Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia addressed the media in Cape Town on police readiness for the planned demonstrations.
Cachalia said he was satisfied that law enforcement agencies in the province were prepared, after receiving operational briefings from the SAPS.
"I hope I’m not going to have to eat my words, but I believe the police are ready, given the urgency, responsibility, and professionalism with which they have responded," Cachalia said.
He said the policing response had been declared a special operation and that officers’ leave had been suspended to maximise resources.
"We have declared this a special operation. Leave has been suspended. The army has not been called up because I am not anticipating that we will need to do so, but if it becomes necessary, we will," he said.
Protesters affiliated with March and March gathered in Wynberg as concerns grow among foreign nationals ahead of June 30.
Image: Lilita Gcwabe
Cachalia said police were also enforcing immigration laws, but stressed that public safety and the protection of infrastructure remained non-negotiable.
"What is not negotiable is the safety and security of the country, its people, and its infrastructure. We are going to do everything possible to ensure June 30 is a normal day," he said.
On Wednesday, Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane said the SAPS had also met with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority and private security companies as part of preparations for June 30.
Dimpane said the lessons of the July 2021 unrest remained fresh, particularly around coordination, communication, early warning systems, and cooperation between safety structures.
She said operational plans had been finalised at national, provincial, and local levels, resources had been mobilised, and communication channels between the SAPS, PSIRA, private security companies, and other stakeholders had been strengthened.
While lawful and peaceful demonstrations would be protected, Dimpane warned that criminal conduct would not be tolerated.
"The blocking of roads, intimidation of communities, destruction of property, attacks on businesses, looting, violence, and any attempts to undermine public order will not be tolerated," she said.
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