It is of course regrettable that the DA march yesterday erupted in violence. We should have sympathy for those who were injured during what the DA promised us would be a peaceful march. But if one plan a peaceful march, one takes into consideration all factors that could disrupt one's carefully laid plans.

I think the DA was actually planning on COSATU members converging in front of COSATU House, knowing that they would be easily provoked. Both E-News and SABC News showed clear footage of DA members making overtly provocative gestures to the COSATU members; who incidentally, were very peaceful at that stage.

When NUMSA General Secretary Irvin James made the call for its members to "defend" COSATU House, the DA could have asked the Court for an urgent interdict barring such members from any protest on the very same day, on the very same street. The absence thereof told me clearly that the DA is "gangstering"; probably informed by its uber gangster, Dan Plato. They were banking on something going wrong.

It is quite interesting that, at the stage they were approaching COSATU House, Helen Zille and other DA "VIPs" were safely on a big truck, and all whites seemed to have disappeared from the front lines, leaving the token blacks to take the heat.

And their assertion that COSATU seems unapologetic for the violence by its members is absolute rubbish, as COSATU GS, Zwelinzima Vavi, was on camera, stating that COSATU and all its affiliates deplore the violence and would make an assessment of the proceedings.

The DA needs to contract some ANC members, or unionists to teach its members how to demonstrate, because seemingly its members, even those who were in the struggle, cannot remember how it is done. We have had marches before, but most of them, especially by organisations to the left, do not end in violence.

The DA's first mass protest, and this is the result. Either they were planning on having this result; or they need to go to toyi-toyi school.

MOEGAMAT SHAREEF BLANKENBERG

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter