Arrests made during EFF’s national shutdown
A total of 13 people were arrested in four districts of Limpopo during the EFF's national shutdown on Monday.
POLOKWANE – Legal representatives of the EFF are working towards the release of eight affiliates arrested during the national shutdown on Monday.
A total of 13 people were arrested in four districts including two in Waterberg, five in Mopani and one in Sekhukhune, while the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe said eight people were arrested.
EFF chairperson Tshilidzi Maraga says the five people arrested in the Capricorn District were not charged and were released from police custody on the same day but wasn’t able to give specifics on how many people were arrested in Polokwane and surrounding areas.
The national shutdown was organised by party leader Julius Malema to express dismay at the current government administration presided over by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The protests were largely peaceful in the city except for when police opened fire using rubber bullets on some protesters in Seshego. Protesters in the township were not allowed to block any roads as they were met with gun shots whenever they attempted to.
In Ladanna, protesters gathered on Witkip and Pietersburg Streets carrying written placards that called for the resignation of Ramaphosa and an end to load-shedding.
Demonstrations on the day were short-lived in the CBD with protesters moving into the immediate townships of Seshego and Mankweng to join others who are also affiliates of the EFF. However, a large group moved through Flora Park and Bendor later in the afternoon causing Savannah Mall, Mall of the North and shops in Cycad and Platinum Park to close before the crowd moved to the Tom Naudé Park.
As opposed to government’s clarion call for businesses and citizens to go about with their day, major retail and grocery stores in the inner city including small business such as those of hawkers in Mankweng and Seshego shut their doors, while others did not bother opening.
Despite members of the party, including Malema, saying the shutdown was a great success, the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntsavheni termed it a “monumental failure” because most citizens stayed away and did not join the protest.
Although there are no recorded hospital admissions from police or the EFF in Polokwane, Maraga said one person affiliated with South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) was attacked by alleged taxi operators in Burgersfort and needed medical attention.
