00:00:00
Speaker 1: You're with John Perlman on 702. Right, let's focus our attention now on the Central Business District down in Durban, just looking up at Various TV screens, I can see scenes, and they've pretty much been there for much of the day of people marching. I'm not sure if there's a particular line of direction for the march, if there's an end point. But let's get an update on what's happening in Durban and welcome EWN reporter Tabiso Gorba. Tabiso, you were there earlier in the day and back again in the afternoon. It seems like crowds are still there in their numbers. What is the focal point of the march? Are they headed anywhere in particular?
00:00:40
Speaker 2: Good afternoon, John. It doesn't seem like the march is headed any way. As you said, I was here earlier. We had a briefing from the acting police minister, from the KZN police commissioner, Mr. Chazam Kwanazi, and the KZN premier, Mr. Saminti Uli. Just updating us about what is going to happen and obviously trying to ensure that there isn't a repeat of what happened yesterday when a number of cars were torched. As you can see, I mean, I can imagine, not as you can see, as you can hear, that the situation is quite unpredictable at the moment. The protesters, a number of them carrying sticks and shambles, have just been walking through the inner city, John. It's not a planned march. It's not an organization. And it's interesting, the more they walk through the city, the more people that join in, and the more unpredictable the situation has become. There has been a number... of flats that have been stoned, its windows broken, but nothing to the destruction that we saw yesterday, where we saw cars being burned or shops being looted. There just has been those one or two incidents of sporadic violence, but there is police here who are handling it as best as they can, John.
00:01:54
Speaker 1: When you say they're handling it as best as they can, do you get a sense that the as best as they can is perhaps not enough and that they might be outnumbered? Or is it that they don't have a strategy?
00:02:08
Speaker 2: Oh, John, they are definitely outnumbered. They are definitely outnumbered. There's close to about 1,000 people here and maybe there's about 100. I think you just heard those stun grenades. I'm a bit further away, so I'm okay. Okay, good. I'm a bit further away, but as we were talking, John, we were talking about the police being outnumbered. They are definitely outnumbered. There's more protesters here than there are police, maybe by two or four times more. And it's been interesting that the police are not arresting anyone. If someone is doing something, if people are breaking windows, the police are just moving them along the way. They're not arresting them because I think that would just further inflame the situation. So the police are just managing the situation. No arrests have been made. Even when someone is actively breaking the law, the police are just moving that person away because they don't want to inflame the situation. So that's what I mean. They're trying to handle the situation as best as they can, trying to ensure that what happened yesterday doesn't actually happen again today.
00:03:14
Speaker 1: Tabi, so I'm sure in the course of the day you've had a chance to talk to the people who are on the streets and part of this demonstration. I mean, do you get a sense of a specific purpose or is it just a general expression of grievance around immigration issues?
00:03:32
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, you remember, John, that since the 30th of June here in Durban, almost every Thursday there's been these kinds of protests. there's been these kinds of process of anti-illegal immigration process where people sort of unhappy about what has happened with illegal immigration in the country. And even with the withdrawal of that directive, the Home Affairs Directive, which was very controversial, even with that withdrawal, it doesn't seem like it is enough. People still want more. And I'm not sure what that more is because the Home Affairs Officers Both in Moore Road and Sherpovara Road, they were closed yesterday. Even the Home Affairs offices here in Durban City, that is not a refugee office, but actually cases for South Africans and a variety of people. It was also closed. A number of shops throughout the CBD have been closed. The CBD is usually a hive of activity around Friday, but it's been relatively quiet. Everyone's shop is boarded up. I did have an opportunity when I came in the morning, John, to speak to some business owners whose shops were looted. They had just come in just to ensure putting those extra security measures. Shop owners, John, they're pretty much frustrated about these ongoing protests saying that, you know, every Thursday we have to close up our shops. We have to take careful consideration of not opening because of these protests. So it is quite a volatile situation. It's something that is started on June 30 or preceded June 30 and is now culminated into what we are seeing yesterday and what we are seeing today.
00:05:22
Speaker 1: Tavisor Gorba, you do stay safe, please, down in the Durban CBD, in his own words, a very volatile and unpredictable association. But Tavisor, out there trying to keep us in touch with what's going on. By the way, if you live in Durban, I know that we do have some listeners down in KZN. If there's observations that you have, maybe you've been close to the scene where these things are happening or have a view over the longer timeline that Tavisul was sketching out for us, please do ring us, 072-702-1702, 20 past four.
Speaker 1: You're with John Perlman on 702. Right, let's focus our attention now on the Central Business District down in Durban, just looking up at Various TV screens, I can see scenes, and they've pretty much been there for much of the day of people marching. I'm not sure if there's a particular line of direction for the march, if there's an end point. But let's get an update on what's happening in Durban and welcome EWN reporter Tabiso Gorba. Tabiso, you were there earlier in the day and back again in the afternoon. It seems like crowds are still there in their numbers. What is the focal point of the march? Are they headed anywhere in particular?
00:00:40
Speaker 2: Good afternoon, John. It doesn't seem like the march is headed any way. As you said, I was here earlier. We had a briefing from the acting police minister, from the KZN police commissioner, Mr. Chazam Kwanazi, and the KZN premier, Mr. Saminti Uli. Just updating us about what is going to happen and obviously trying to ensure that there isn't a repeat of what happened yesterday when a number of cars were torched. As you can see, I mean, I can imagine, not as you can see, as you can hear, that the situation is quite unpredictable at the moment. The protesters, a number of them carrying sticks and shambles, have just been walking through the inner city, John. It's not a planned march. It's not an organization. And it's interesting, the more they walk through the city, the more people that join in, and the more unpredictable the situation has become. There has been a number... of flats that have been stoned, its windows broken, but nothing to the destruction that we saw yesterday, where we saw cars being burned or shops being looted. There just has been those one or two incidents of sporadic violence, but there is police here who are handling it as best as they can, John.
00:01:54
Speaker 1: When you say they're handling it as best as they can, do you get a sense that the as best as they can is perhaps not enough and that they might be outnumbered? Or is it that they don't have a strategy?
00:02:08
Speaker 2: Oh, John, they are definitely outnumbered. They are definitely outnumbered. There's close to about 1,000 people here and maybe there's about 100. I think you just heard those stun grenades. I'm a bit further away, so I'm okay. Okay, good. I'm a bit further away, but as we were talking, John, we were talking about the police being outnumbered. They are definitely outnumbered. There's more protesters here than there are police, maybe by two or four times more. And it's been interesting that the police are not arresting anyone. If someone is doing something, if people are breaking windows, the police are just moving them along the way. They're not arresting them because I think that would just further inflame the situation. So the police are just managing the situation. No arrests have been made. Even when someone is actively breaking the law, the police are just moving that person away because they don't want to inflame the situation. So that's what I mean. They're trying to handle the situation as best as they can, trying to ensure that what happened yesterday doesn't actually happen again today.
00:03:14
Speaker 1: Tabi, so I'm sure in the course of the day you've had a chance to talk to the people who are on the streets and part of this demonstration. I mean, do you get a sense of a specific purpose or is it just a general expression of grievance around immigration issues?
00:03:32
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, you remember, John, that since the 30th of June here in Durban, almost every Thursday there's been these kinds of protests. there's been these kinds of process of anti-illegal immigration process where people sort of unhappy about what has happened with illegal immigration in the country. And even with the withdrawal of that directive, the Home Affairs Directive, which was very controversial, even with that withdrawal, it doesn't seem like it is enough. People still want more. And I'm not sure what that more is because the Home Affairs Officers Both in Moore Road and Sherpovara Road, they were closed yesterday. Even the Home Affairs offices here in Durban City, that is not a refugee office, but actually cases for South Africans and a variety of people. It was also closed. A number of shops throughout the CBD have been closed. The CBD is usually a hive of activity around Friday, but it's been relatively quiet. Everyone's shop is boarded up. I did have an opportunity when I came in the morning, John, to speak to some business owners whose shops were looted. They had just come in just to ensure putting those extra security measures. Shop owners, John, they're pretty much frustrated about these ongoing protests saying that, you know, every Thursday we have to close up our shops. We have to take careful consideration of not opening because of these protests. So it is quite a volatile situation. It's something that is started on June 30 or preceded June 30 and is now culminated into what we are seeing yesterday and what we are seeing today.
00:05:22
Speaker 1: Tavisor Gorba, you do stay safe, please, down in the Durban CBD, in his own words, a very volatile and unpredictable association. But Tavisor, out there trying to keep us in touch with what's going on. By the way, if you live in Durban, I know that we do have some listeners down in KZN. If there's observations that you have, maybe you've been close to the scene where these things are happening or have a view over the longer timeline that Tavisul was sketching out for us, please do ring us, 072-702-1702, 20 past four.
