KWAGGAFONTEIN — Three political parties marched to the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality offices on Thursday, 15 October 2026, demanding stricter enforcement of municipal by-laws and inspections of local businesses.
The march, organised by the African Independent People's Organisation (AIPO), MK Party and Service Delivery Party (SDP), was held under the banner “March and March”.
The parties handed over a memorandum raising concerns about drug abuse, business compliance, land occupation, immigration and local economic opportunities.
AIPO founder and leader Hotnot Masemula said the march was prompted by growing concerns about drug abuse among young people and unemployment.
“Our children have succumbed to drugs. Our children are school dropouts because of the influence that they consume in the streets,” he said.
Masemula also alleged that foreign nationals were taking over local spaza shops and economic opportunities. He called on the municipality to conduct inspections and verify whether businesses complied with legal requirements.
The memorandum called for inspections of shops and food products, action against suspected drug-related activities, lawful land allocation and stricter enforcement of municipal by-laws.
It also raised concerns about immigration, public services and employment opportunities.
Concerned resident Lawrence Tibane said conditions in the area were affecting residents' daily lives. He raised concerns about informal structures near shopping centres and questioned whether some traders had the necessary documentation to operate businesses.
Tibane urged the municipality to address residents' concerns peacefully.
“We want the municipality to take this memorandum. Go through it. After going through it we want positive feedback. We don’t want to take drastic measures that will end up in looting or violence but we want a peaceful solution,” he said.
The memorandum was received by Thembisile Hani Local Municipality MMC for Technical Services and Infrastructure Development Eunice Malekane on behalf of the municipality.
Malekane acknowledged residents' constitutional right to raise concerns about municipal services and said the municipality had already introduced inspection operations targeting spaza shops.
She said the inspections were aimed at ensuring that food and other goods sold at local businesses were safe for consumption.
Malekane committed the municipality to providing feedback within seven days, as stipulated in the memorandum.
“We want to work with our residents because we are the municipality that serves its people,” she said.
Related march in Middelburg
Meanwhile, residents in Middelburg also participated in the “March and March” campaign on the same day, although no memorandum was handed over to the municipality.
According to information supplied, marchers visited businesses they suspected of operating illegally and instructed foreign national-owned spaza shops to close.
The march reportedly moved from Tokologo to Malope Village before proceeding to the Middelburg industrial area.
March leader Sifiso Masemola accused local authorities of applying business compliance requirements inconsistently to South African and foreign national business owners.
“We want to put a stop to that and demand that local authorities verify whether these businesses are legitimate and comply with municipal health and safety standards,” he said.
The marches in Kwaggafontein and Middelburg formed part of a campaign demanding stricter enforcement of municipal by-laws, safer neighbourhoods and the protection of local livelihoods.
However, allegations raised by marchers concerning immigration status, criminal activities and business compliance have not been independently verified. The circumstances surrounding the reported closure of spaza shops in Middelburg also remain unclear.
