By Nkhensani Mthombeni
- Action SA marched from Tzaneen Showground to the police station, demanding action against undocumented foreign nationals and shop owners.
- Marchers waited hours at the municipality to hand mayor Odas Ngobeni a memorandum, but he was at an Imbizo two hours away.
Action SA led a march through Tzaneen on Tuesday, demanding that spaza shops and the local economy be handed back to South Africans.
The march started at Tzaneen Showground and moved through the CBD to Tzaneen Police Station, where a memorandum was handed to station commander Brigadier Edward Masinamela.
Dr Mikia Ramothwala, who left the ANC to join Action SA a few months ago, led the march. He was joined by Action SA member of Parliament Lerato Ngobeni.
Ramothwala read the memorandum to police and Home Affairs officials.
“We are calling on the police and the Department of Home Affairs to work with us in removing illegal foreigners in Tzaneen and also foreign shop owners without valid trading documents,” he said. “We want you to take us to the places where these people are working and where they are doing crime and we will remove them.”
Ngobeni said Action SA is tired of seeing foreigners working in farms, retail stores and restaurants without papers, while South African youth struggle to find jobs.
Masinamela and a Home Affairs representative signed the memorandum to confirm they had received it. He said police vans were ready to arrest anyone found without valid documentation.
Ntwanano Marito, from Mhlava Village, joined the march. He has a grade 12 certificate and a business management qualification from Letaba TVET College, but is unemployed.
“Foreigners are taking opportunities locals are fighting for,” he said.
The march ended at Greater Tzaneen Municipality, where marchers waited hours to hand a memorandum to mayor Odas Ngobeni. He was hosting an Imbizo at Mokgwathi Village, two hours away. Marchers left without seeing him.
Most foreign-owned shops in town were closed. Otherwise, life in Tzaneen continued as normal, with taxis running and a high police presence, including inyalas, visible through the town.
Pictured above: Action SA leads marchers through the Tzaneen CBD during a protest demanding action against undocumented foreign nationals.
Image source: Nkhensani Mthombeni
