City obtains interdict to stop illegal protest

The City of Cape Town has successfully obtained an interdict from the Western Cape High Court, preventing the Cape Town Informal Settlements Organisation from proceeding with their plans to host an illegal protest tomorrow.

The City approached the Cape High Court as a last resort to avoid a repeat of the violent incidents that unfolded during a protest organised by the same group a few weeks ago after the leaders of the organisation vowed to continue with the march despite not having a permit as is required by law.

I appeal to the organisers of the illegal protest to respect the court interdict.

One of the senior leaders of the group and ANC Councillor in the City of Cape Town, Loyiso Nkohla, is quoted in today's media reports saying that:

‘...we will only stop the march if a court of law says so.'

Now that the court has spoken, I hope that Nkohla and his colleagues will no longer continue with their plans as this would be a blatant disregard of the rule of law.

The City reaffirms its respect for the right of groups to demonstrate. However such demonstrations must be within the confines of the law and not at the risk of infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens and destroying public and private property.

The City remains committed to engaging different organisations and individuals that are determined to find solutions for challenges that we face.

There are numerous platforms for constructive engagements to address concerns raised by different communities.

To this end, I welcome the call by prominent Capetonians encouraging political activists to desist from using violence to express their concerns.

It is worth noting that ANC in the Western Cape and City of Cape Town have once again paid lip-service to the Cape Town Informal Settlement Organisation's threats of violence, in the lead-up to the illegal protest, given that some of their prominent members are involved in arranging the said demonstration.

We all need to work together to create a peaceful environment to engage each other on what needs to be done to make this great city even greater.

Statement issued by Patricia de Lille, Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, November 28 2013

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