The National Coloured Congress (NCC) has described the City’s action of halting their shutdown demonstration as “hypocrisy”, stating the DA-led government was against employment equity.
This after the City secured a court order which barred the political party from a shutdown planned on Thursday at Mitchells Plain Town Centre and some construction sites.
Western Cape High Court Judge Thandazwa Ndita ordered that the NCC, their members and affiliated organisations refrain from unlawfully obstructing, interfering with, intimidating or harassing any business, its representatives, staff or customers in any manner that would hinder such business from exercising its constitutional right to freedom of trade.
They were also ordered to refrain from “unlawfully interfering with, intimidating or harassing any City officials, representatives, staff or residents in any manner hindering the City from exercising its constitutionally enshrined rights and duties as local authority. Inciting any person to unlawfully interfere with any person in the conduct of his or her business or work. Shutting down or damaging any business, private property or government property, including without limitation that of the City or its contractors,” said Judge Ndita.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis claimed the NCC had disrupted City frontline services and local businesses in an attempt to gain relevance through chaos.
“This is the same tactics of the EFF, and equally unacceptable. In fact, this is worse than the EFF’s threatened ‘shutdown’ earlier this year, because the NCC has actually already disrupted at least one business and at least one City construction site, where new electricity cables were being laid to improve services for residents. The residents of Cape Town reject chaos-mongers.
“Our economy can only grow, and employ more people, with the rule of law intact, and Cape Town will not tolerate threats of ‘shutdowns’ and violent intimidation of employers and residents trying to make a living.
Everyone has the right to peaceful and lawful forms of protest, but we must be clear that violent disruption, or threats to this effect, are unconstitutional,” said Hill-Lewis.
Last week, the NCC staged a demonstration at BP Express along Eisleben Street in Lentegeur against what they labelled as the business not being “coloured-compliant”, saying there were no people from the area employed at the petrol station. It was forced to close with immediate effect.
Sakeena Frenchman said the City had now openly shown its previously tacit support for the ANC policy of “ensuring that entire coloured communities will remain hungry”.
She said the City was “ascribing violent and delinquent tendencies to the NCC in the face of a complete lack of evidence to back up its spurious claims”.
“All we want is for local businesses to hire locals; we aren’t in favour of the exclusion of anyone.
“Our struggle has never ceased for our oppressors have united. In the black townships coloureds seeking employment are hounded out, the DA never tried to interfere there. To compound the hypocrisy this is the same racist party that marched against employment equity, but it's understandable when its top management is dominated by 80% white people.”
Cape Times