Cele, Masemola to assess KwaZulu-Natal’s readiness for EFF protests
Police Minister Bheki Cele and General Khehla Sitole
- Police Minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola will visit KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
- The visit is aimed at assessing whether the police in the province are ready for the EFF’s planned protests on Monday.
- The EFF organised nationwide marches to protest against load shedding and is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.
Police Minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola will visit KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday to assess the province’s readiness for the EFF’s national shutdown on Monday.
The EFF urged citizens to take to the streets on Monday to protest against ongoing load shedding and to demand the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The aim of the visit is to assess and ensure that the KZN police are ready to police the planned protest that is set to take place on Monday”, said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
At a media briefing on Friday, the police said the Hawks were already addressing enquiries related to intimidation and incitement of violence via social media.
KwaZulu-Natal police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi warned that the EFF “will be stopped if found to be infringing on the free movement of others”.
Mkhwanazi said:
The Natjoints (National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure) will not allow any barricading of national, provincial and municipal roads. Public violence, the burning of tyres and placing of rocks and debris to block roads, [and] looting will not be allowed.
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town said law enforcement officers this week removed hundreds of tyres placed in strategic areas across the city, allegedly ahead of the planned countrywide protests.
Law enforcement officers have been doing patrols and looking for batches of tyres placed at strategic spots.
The Western Cape High Court granted an urgent interdict to the City of Cape Town on Friday directing the EFF and its supporters not to harm or threaten people and businesses during its protests on Monday.
READ | PICS | EFF shutdown: Law enforcement removes hundreds of tyres across Cape Town
Judge Mark Sher ruled that the protests should comply with the law, including the Regulation of Gatherings Act and the terms and conditions of a permit issued by the City of Cape Town, dated 7 March.
The City and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde applied for the urgent interdict, citing escalating threats and intimidation against people and businesses.
Meanwhile, the Legal Practice Council (LPC) indicated that all its offices would be closed on Monday due to the planned national shutdown. However, a number of LPC employees would be available via email, and urgent correspondence could be sent to the respective provincial offices, it said.
