Over 500 arrested during EFF ‘national shutdown’ - Natjoints
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) has confirmed the arrest of more than 500 protesters across South Africa on Monday.
Supporters of the EFF lined the streets of several cities and towns in all nine provinces, calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign over load shedding, crime, high unemployment and other socio-economic hardships.
"The Natjoints has at 10 pm on, 20 March 2023, arrested more than 550 protestors for amongst others; public violence, intimidation, damage to critical infrastructure, theft and attempted looting," said NatJoints spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.
According to Mathe, Gauteng is the leading province with 149 people arrested, followed by the Northern Cape at 95 arrests, and the Eastern Cape with 80 people handcuffed.
Law enforcement officers were also on a drive to collect tyres which are often set alight and used to barricade roads and entrances during protest. More than 24,000 tyres were confiscated.
Condemning the move, EFF leader Julius Malema called on protesters to protect what he says is part of the protest culture in South Africa.
"We are not evening burning people with those tyres. We are burning our own tyres. What it is the problem with that? We must protect our protest culture and not be ashamed that protest amongst other things includes barricading the roads, includes burning tyres. That's who we are, and this how South Africans protest."
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'WE ARE NOT PLANNING A COUP'
Malema has chastised Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni for saying the EFF was trying to agitate for a regime change 'through unconstitutional means'.
"That's a stupid analysis because when you want to do a coup, you do the coup first and announce it after…we are not involved in a coup d'état, we are not involved in a regime change. We are involved in the protection of the constitution, the protection of our democracy and exercising our own right and no one can take away that right - not Ramaphosa, not army generals," Malema told cheering marchers.
The leader of the red berets also tore into ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who spent the day using his social media to counter the EFF's claim of a successful shutdown.
Malema told journalists that Mbalula is experiencing "political jealousy", adding that the ANC of today is not capable of mobilising and attracting the kind of numbers seen during Monday's protest.
Amid the public’s fear of a repeat of the deadly 2021 riots, last week Mbalula also accused the party of promoting anarchy and planting the seed of an insurrection.
