Leaders of the Grahamstown branch of the Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) were arrested after they and other UPM members picketed in front of the Parliament building in Cape Town last week.
Leaders of the Grahamstown branch of the Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) were arrested after they and other UPM members picketed in front of the Parliament building in Cape Town last week.
UPM leader in the Eastern Cape Ayanda Kota said that members of his party who made the trip to Parliament ahead of president Jacob Zuma’s state-of-the-nation address were assaulted by the police.
“Despite complying with the law which says 15 picketers are allowed to picket in front of Parliament, we were told by the police to leave the area, which we did,” explained Kota.
“As we were leaving Plein Street the police demanded we hand over our banners and megaphone and we refused – myself and Vuyisile Masenuka subsequently got arrested.”
Kota said he and Masenuka spent about an hour in police custody before they were released and fined R150 each for not complying with police officers.
“We are not going to pay the fine, as that would be admission of guilt and we did nothing wrong,” he said.
He added that the police were under pressure from the media to release them because journalists were calling the police station and asking which offence the UPM leaders had been charged with. The pair are expected to appear in court on 3 March.
Kota said that pepper spray was used on them when they refused to hand the banners over to the police and also while they were in police custody.
He said that their petition was supported by UPM members in the Western Cape and UPM leaders from the Eastern Cape.
The UPM protested in front of Parliament to draw the attention of Members of Parliament to the plight of the unemployed majority and to urge the government to deliver on promises of job creation.
