Eighty-seven protesters have been arrested for public offenses related to the violence since Sunday night. (Photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Eighty-seven protesters have been arrested for public offenses related to the violence since Sunday night, South Africa’s National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoings) said in a statement on Monday morning.
In addition, at least 24 300 tires that were “strategically placed for criminal activities” have been seized.
“From 87 [people] 41 were arrested in Gauteng, 29 in the North West, 15 in the Free State. There have also been arrests in other provinces such as Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape,” the statement said.
Natjoints operate at the national and provincial levels and include the police, state security, the national intelligence coordination committee, the correctional service and the National Prosecution Authority, including other core members of the judiciary, crime prevention and security clusters.
South Africa has been on high alert since last week as a “national shutdown” for Monday March 20, called for by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), took shape. Minority political parties are demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa step down and remove the burden completely.
As of 9 a.m. Monday, sporadic incidents of small-scale violence had been reported across the country in connection with the death, which the police quickly dealt with.
A contingent of EFF students – some visibly exhausted – could be seen gathering at several local campuses in eThekwini on Monday morning, many of whom had already taken to the streets on Sunday.
EFF leader Julius Malema has been hailed as the start of a “revolution”.
He was tweeting and retweeting on Sunday night several video clips and photos showing empty streets, apparently to illustrate that the shutdown had been effective. “Now or never!” Malema tweeted, along with “Victory is certain”.
The security services and the government have been providing regular updates to citizens about deaths, communication and failures during the deadly and economic unrest in July 2021, which was triggered by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.
KwaZulu-Natal was particularly affected by the July 2021 riots, which left more than 400 people dead – most of them looting. In the eThekwini province metro alone, the July riots cost the private sector R70 billion, according to the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Chamber represents 3 000 formal sector and over 45 000 informal sector members.
Fearing riots in July 2021, provincial police, private security, community policing forums and neighborhood watches have coordinated to contain violence and potential looting. A police helicopter was heard flying over Durban on Monday morning.
On Sunday evening, dozens of community patrols were on the streets of suburbs during the July riots, such as Umbilo and Berea. In areas such as Durban North, volunteers maintain private CCTV monitoring centres.
Although Monday was called a “normal working day” by authorities, many businesses were closed, as were schools. Tuesday is Human Rights Day, a public holiday, and many South Africans are off work on Monday for the long weekend.