Durban — The EFF deemed the national shutdown successful and conveyed the party’s message to the government with Monday’s protests.
EFF eThekwini regional spokesperson Mazwi Blose said the shutdown was a huge success in KwaZulu-Natal and there were no reports of the EFF being violent or attempting to loot.
Blose said the support from the community was overwhelming.
In terms of the government’s deployment of the SAPS and SANDF, Blose said he thought there was a clear mandate to try to intimidate the party; many members across the province reported they were arrested or injured.
Blose said the shutdown achieved a pivotal outcome when the government suspended load shedding nationwide.
“We are exposing the ruling party for their corruption to deliberately kill Eskom for them to sell it off to private hands. Ever since the shutdown intensified, the country has had no load shedding,” said Blose.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said the EFF was successful in getting the country talking as the topic trended the most for days. He praised the protest for being peaceful.
“It would be unfortunate if the government chose to ignore the issues that were raised. It is also unfortunate how the government tends to react in the face of violence. To do that would breed the culture of violence.
“We should not give credence to the view that the only language that the government understands is the language of violence,” said Seepe.
“The question of the economic impact of the national shutdown is neither here nor there. Besides this is the very issue that features among a list of concerns the EFF sought to raise.
“Mantashe is on record that the country loses R1 billion a day due to load shedding. It has been argued that the cost so far ranges from R600 billion to R1 trillion. It is thus dishonest to lump a systemic problem on a march by the EFF,” said Seepe.
KZN Violence Monitor Mary de Haas said the police’s presence deterred criminal activity. She thought the large presence was to ensure that there was no repeat of the 2021 July looting and to not raise fear within the public.
“The police had to be seen to be doing their jobs with the advanced warning and public spotlight. It was made easier by many people not going to work, schools being closed and little traffic on roads; but it is a different matter altogether when it comes to crime prevention and detection.
“That crisis is such it needs urgent intervention. That is why father and son can be gunned down on a busy highway in daylight and similar incidents happening elsewhere all the time, i.e. deployment of hitmen.”
Westville Ratepayers Association exco member Rose Cortes said the EFF proved South Africa did have a policing system that operates for the first time in ages.
“It is unfortunate that the police only operate under threat. It was a general sense of relief that there was no bloodshed.”
Cortes expected chaos due to the volatile political climate, specifically in KZN, usually at the forefront of rioting.
Various businesses including the Sibaya and Florida Road precincts said it was business as usual and they were glad for the efforts and presence of their teams on the ground.
The SAPS National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said more than 550 protesters were arrested for public violence, intimidation, damage to critical infrastructure, theft and attempted looting.
Mathe said Gauteng recorded the highest number of arrests at 149, the Northern Cape (95), the Eastern Cape (80), and the Free State (64).
“The number of tyres confiscated throughout the country remains at 24 300.
“These tyres were strategically placed for acts of criminality,” Mathe said.
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995
Daily News