More than a thousand angry Seskhona marchers who descended on Cape Town’s city centre ahead of the state of the nation address yesterday declared a ban on DA supporters in the city’s townships.
“If the DA does not want us here in town, why must we allow them in town?” Seskhona People’s Rights Movement leader, Loyiso Nkohla, told cheering supporters.
“Anything that looks like Helen Zille in our townships, you must chase away.”
This was because the DA didn’t send anyone to accept Seskhona’s memorandum, which calls for the party to take action against members accused of racism.
Nkohla said even black DA members, which he referred to as “black boers” should not be allowed to campaign in the townships.
Seskhona handed its memorandum to the office of the Public Protector and Human Rights Commission to investigate alleged racism in the Western Cape government.
But the group was not alone in its protest. The PAC “gatecrashed” the gathering, holding anti-President Jacob Zuma posters and calling for all its “political prisoners” to be released without conditions.
Sandile Moya, a PAC provincial leader in the Western Cape, said the party would intensify its campaigns this month.
The Seskhona marchers were initially confined at Keizergracht Square, near the Cape Peninsula University of Technology but broke free from the police and marched to parliament, singing and waving flags.
While ZumaMustFall supporters were granted permission by the City of Cape Town for 5000 people to join their march, only about 300 showed up yesterday at Greenmarket Square, where they snaked their way through Long and Strand streets to the Grand Parade.
Organiser Christelle Scheepers said the march was a follow-up from last year’s Zuma Must Fall march on December 16.
“We’re not going to let this go. He has undermined the Constitution,” she said.
She said the low turnout was due to approval for the march being received too late, which had hindered their promotion of the march. Scheepers and other marshals spoke to police before the 1pm march and were warned to be vigilant for other groups who might intimidate them.
They were greeted by barbed wire barricades across the city in preparation for last night’s Sona.
“Even the Nats didn’t string coils of wire along Adderley Street,” said Chris van der Spuy.
He said he joined the march because he was fed up with Zuma.
A DA march due to take place yesterday morning was cancelled at the last minute.
Pro-ANC protest calls for DA ban
“If the DA does not want us here in town, why must we allow them in town?” Seskhona People’s Rights Movement leader, Loyiso Nkohla, told cheering supporters.
“Anything that looks like Helen Zille in our townships, you must chase away.”
This was because the DA didn’t send anyone to accept Seskhona’s memorandum, which calls for the party to take action against members accused of racism.
Nkohla said even black DA members, which he referred to as “black boers” should not be allowed to campaign in the townships.
Seskhona handed its memorandum to the office of the Public Protector and Human Rights Commission to investigate alleged racism in the Western Cape government.
But the group was not alone in its protest. The PAC “gatecrashed” the gathering, holding anti-President Jacob Zuma posters and calling for all its “political prisoners” to be released without conditions.
Sandile Moya, a PAC provincial leader in the Western Cape, said the party would intensify its campaigns this month.
The Seskhona marchers were initially confined at Keizergracht Square, near the Cape Peninsula University of Technology but broke free from the police and marched to parliament, singing and waving flags.
While ZumaMustFall supporters were granted permission by the City of Cape Town for 5000 people to join their march, only about 300 showed up yesterday at Greenmarket Square, where they snaked their way through Long and Strand streets to the Grand Parade.
Organiser Christelle Scheepers said the march was a follow-up from last year’s Zuma Must Fall march on December 16.
“We’re not going to let this go. He has undermined the Constitution,” she said.
She said the low turnout was due to approval for the march being received too late, which had hindered their promotion of the march. Scheepers and other marshals spoke to police before the 1pm march and were warned to be vigilant for other groups who might intimidate them.
They were greeted by barbed wire barricades across the city in preparation for last night’s Sona.
“Even the Nats didn’t string coils of wire along Adderley Street,” said Chris van der Spuy.
He said he joined the march because he was fed up with Zuma.
A DA march due to take place yesterday morning was cancelled at the last minute.
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