A coalition of faith-based organisations in South Africa (SA) has expressed deep skepticism over the government’s capability to prevent violence ahead of Tuesday’s planned protests against undocumented foreign nationals.
Religious leaders, alongside representatives from business, political parties, labour, and civil society, joined forces in an online rally to strongly reject the upcoming action organised by groups including March and March and Operation Dudula. The collective voiced fears that state law enforcement is ill-prepared to manage potential unrest.
The Reverend Moss Ntlha of the Evangelical Alliance drew grim parallels to past state failures, warning that previous government promises of security have fallen short.
“We have had assurances of this sort before, only to be found, as we did find in 2021, that the readiness of the state to actually address what such a social turmoil can look like, it’s often not up to the required standard,” Ntlha cautioned. “So, we are concerned that the government has allowed the state and its institution to be so weakened.”
Ntlha further alleged that institutional weakness within the state apparatus itself undermines public safety, noting that lawbreakers have compromised key sectors, including the security establishment.
–ChannelAfrica–
