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WATCH: Lesufi’s office calls for calm after volatile protest in Joburg CBD
Protestors barricaded the road with rocks and burning tyres after a Tanzanian national collapsed and died during a police operation
Commissioner Street in the Joburg CBD was barricaded with burning tyres and debris at Goud Street due to protest action on Monday 16 January 2023. Photo: @JoburgMPD/Twitter
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office is monitoring the Johannesburg CBD following a violent protest with police and residents.
The volatile demonstrations led to Commissioner Street being closed off on Monday causing major traffic congestion.
Protestors barricaded the road with rocks and burning tyres at the intersection of Goud and Commissioner streets after a Tanzanian national collapsed and died during a police operation.
The 28-year-old man has since been identified as Omari Hamisi.
Drug raid
It is understood, that police received a tip-off that there were drugs at Panama Court in room 121 and room 222 in the CBD.
On arrival at room 121, they knocked on the door and the person inside the room refused to open, Lesufi’s spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga said.
“The police forced the door open and found the suspect inside. After searching the flat, they found an undisclosed amount of cash, dagga and a white substance believed to be drugs. The suspect then took the officers to room 222 in Panorama Court.”
“On the way to the second floor, the suspect became weak and collapsed at the stairs. He was certified dead on scene,” he said.
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Calls for calm
The cause of death will be determined during a postmortem to be conducted on Wednesday, Mhaga said.
Gauteng Premier Lesufi has since called for calm following the violent protests in the Joburg CBD.
“We are calling for calm and are pleading with the residents to allow the investigation on the passing of the suspect to take place without any interference. Violence and vandalism will not solve the problem,” Lesufi said.
Several protests
Meanwhile, service delivery protests spiralled across South Africa on Monday, with disruptive protests reported in Boksburg, Kroonstad and Phoenix.
Protest hotspots included informal settlements, malls, major highways and near governmental buildings.
Opposition parties in the country have also expressed their intent to take action against the ongoing electricity crisis.
South Africans have been buckling under the deliberate power cuts that have affected everyday normal life.
Additional reporting by Siphumelele Khumalo
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