Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa president has appealed for calm ahead of planned nationwide protests against undocumented immigration, warning that while citizens have the constitutional right to demonstrate, violence, intimidation and vigilantism will not be tolerated.
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In his weekly newsletter released on Monday, a day before the planned protests on June 30, Ramaphosa acknowledged that many South Africans have genuine concerns about illegal immigration, weak border controls, pressure on public services and criminal networks exploiting the country’s immigration system.
“These concerns are real and they deserve to be heard,” Ramaphosa said.
However, he stressed that public frustration must not be used to justify lawlessness.
“The right to protest and freedom of expression does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence,” he said.
The president said South Africa
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