A CROWD of about 2,000 people gathered outside the Western Cape legislature on Monday, calling on Premier Helen Zille to come out and receive their memorandum.
The crowd, closely watched by a heavy police guard, were participating in the African National Congress Youth League’s economic emancipation march.
Earlier this month, the league in the province threatened to make the Western Cape and Cape Town “ungovernable” if its demands were not met. This followed its march last month to Ms Zille’s offices.
However, according to reports, the march on Monday morning was peaceful.
Protesters took to the streets to hand over a list of grievances to the premier, but Ms Zille did not come out. Instead, Ivan Meyer, the Western Cape MEC for cultural affairs and sport, was sent to receive the memorandum.
The protesters insisted that Ms Zille receive the memorandum in person and called on her and the executive mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, to resign as they had “failed the people of Cape Town”.
Ms de Lille said the youth league had failed to adhere to conditions for its march to the provincial legislature, and that it violated two of the conditions stipulated in terms of the Gatherings Act and the approved march application.
She said: “Informed by the need to ensure public safety and a safe route for the march, the stipulations set by the South African Police Service and the City of Cape Town were that the participants should assemble at Keizersgracht from 10am onwards on Monday morning.”
The march was to have begun no later than 11am from Keizersgracht along Darling Street, left into Adderley Street, and then to the provincial buildings in Wale Street.
However, part of the group gathered at the wrong location — at the Salt River station — instead of Keizersgracht.
Another group from Keizersgracht joined the protesters at Salt River station just after noon. The police consolidated them into one group before the march proceeded.
Ms de Lille said the procession did not adhere to the time frames stipulated in the application, and the march began late.
The youth league’s list of grievances included “better service delivery” and that the province scrapped its plan to close 27 underperforming schools.
It also demanded that the planned Bus Rapid Transit expansion to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain be halted pending proper consultation with stakeholders.
The league intends to march every month until 2014.
With Sapa
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