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R2K Gauteng is outraged that Mayor Herman Mashaba and JMPD Chief of Police David Tembe have broken a promise to respond to concerns that the City of Johannesburg is violating people’s constitutional right to protest.

A delegation from R2K Gauteng is headed to the Mayor’s office right now to hear his explanation, and offer a last chance to prevent court action.

On 16 November 2018 we delivered a memorandum that detailed how JMPD officials are routinely intimidating and frustrating people who are trying to organise protests and marches, and not following their own rules in terms of the Regulation of Gatherings Act. The most famous example is the ‘Joburg Protest Fees’, whereby JMPD officials are charging ‘fees’ for people to exercise their constitutional right to protest. (See our submission and more information at r2k.org.za/joburgprotestfees)

Representatives of the Mayor and JMPD promised to respond to these concerns within two weeks, but that promise has been broken.

We are angry. Over the past five years, we have tried again and again to highlight these blatantly unlawful abuses, but the City's ears are closed. It seems they are forcing us to take this to court. If the Mayor wants to explain these protest fees to a court in 2019, we can help arrange this.

But we don’t want to allow a situation where the City wastes more public funds to try defend this unconstitutional process. Therefore, a delegation of R2K Gauteng leaders are heading to the Mayor’s office at 12pm to invite him to explain why the City broke its promise to address these issues, and what steps he will take to end these abuses of our right to protest.

Issued by The Right To Know