DA march for REAL jobs to go ahead

05 February 2014

At a meeting with the Johannesburg Metro Police today, the DA secured the right to march for six million REAL jobs in Johannesburg next week on Wednesday 12 February.

We have stated all along that we will march legally and peacefully. There is nothing provocative about this. The only thing we aim to provoke is a debate over who has the best plan to create jobs. Is it Jacob Zuma's ANC with it bogus promise of 6 million public works placements? Or is it the DA's plan to create 6 million permanent REAL jobs by 2025 through sustainable economic growth?

We are encouraged by President Zuma's recent re-iteration of the constitutional right to assemble, picket and demonstrate, as well as his promise that there will be no ‘no-go' areas in this election.

Despite this, the ANC yesterday said that it cannot be held responsible for any violence because it is not in charge of the march. This is disingenuous. The fact is that the ANC have consistently threatened the DA with violence since we announced our intention to march. Yesterday, several ANC members gathered outside Luthuli House were spotted with rocks, bricks and tazers.

It is ironic that the ANC were allowed to gather illegally in the streets yesterday after the JMPD refused the right for DA to march peacefully. We had to then go through a convoluted process which included an appeal to the Johannesburg Magistrates Court. 

We trust that the JMPD will prevent the ANC from disrupting the DA's march next week. To our knowledge, no permission has been granted to the ANC to hold such a gathering.

If the JMPD refuses to act, it will show that there is one rule for the ANC and another for everybody else. It is time that people saw through the unconstitutional political bias at the heart of the police.

Statement issued by DA leader Helen Zille February 5 2014

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