With some of their members arrested for public violence, residents from the Anthea, Pennyville, Slovo, New Canada and Zamimpilo informal settlements near Soweto have made allegations of assault and police brutality against officers stationed at Langlaagte police station.
The members of the Simunye Movement held a campaign on “foreign invasion of companies in Industria West” and embarked on a march during which they were allegedly cornered and attacked by police officers. The incident last week is now under investigation.
Although members of the Simunye Movement have felt ambushed and attacked because of their “fight” for equal employment, a local company felt the movement’s approach was inappropriate.
Bliss Brand, a manufacturing company with its head office in Industria West, Johannesburg, experienced an attack by members of the movement. Its human resources manager, Amer Iqbal, said they were aware of the movement’s work in distributing memorandums with their demands to companies in the area and were not against it.
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According to Iqbal, on 13 September, about 300 to 500 residents visited their head office, demanding jobs and to meet management.
When management did not respond, the residents pelted the building with bricks.
“They threw bricks and damaged windows and 17 cars in the park,” he said. “We employ South African citizens. Anyone who is a foreign national must hold a valid visa or a permanent residence permit. We do not have any illegal foreign national as an employee.”
Iqbal said it was important to tell their side of the story because these residents claimed they were concerned with employment. This was no way to approach a company, though. “You are expecting the company to meet you, but you damage the company’s property,” he said.
“Apart from the damage, employees are traumatised. This is no way to communicate: by a large group intimidating and be- having violently and aggressively. “It was our good fortune no one was injured.” The matter was reported to Langlaagte police station, he added.
Slovo informal settlement community leader Johannes Radebe claimed residents who lived near Industria West never benefitted from the companies in the area. This was the main reason for the march. According to Radebe, they de- “We want to ensure their religious leaders reflects this understanding of community.
“At the end of the day, commercialisation of the religions, abuse of the belief systems, people eating whatever and fed whatever, exploitation of that, gender-based violence, abuse, all of that tarnished the image of the community,” he said.
Mosoma said the community must take control of itself by defining itself. University of Limpopo victimologist Professor Jaco Barkhuizen said the constitution guaranteed the right to religion, which also meant the right from religion.
“The constitution also has a limit to all rights.
“If a religious community’s practices are harmful or detrimental that right immediately stops.
“Their right stops where the parishioners begins,” he said.
