All under control in Ga-Nala

Unemployment was the fuel behind the protest action in Ga-Nala last week.

The community of Thubelihle, the suburb on the outskirts of Ga-Nala closed all the roads going in and out the town on Tuesday, August 4 and kept the roads closed until the following day.

Members of Kriel Ga-Nala 911 escorted motorists in convoys out of town while members of the Community Policing Forum assisted the local SAPS in monitoring the situation.
Word that the unrest will again flare up this week was received. But, according to Mr Edwin Nel from Kriel Ga-Nala 911 there were no signs of unrest on Tuesday, August 11.

“We are however keeping a close eye on the ground. The police and CPF are on high alert,” Nel said.

It is not the first time that the town became the target of violent protests.
Last year a municipal traffic car was petrol bombed during protest action about the same unemployment issues. Police had to use rubber bullets to disperse the angry crowd.

Lt/Col Harold Mashile, Kriel SAPS station commander said the situation is currently under control.
South Africa’s unemployment rate remains a huge headache.

“The unemployment rate in South Africa decreased to 25 percent in the second quarter of 2015 from a ten-year high of 26.40 percent in the first quarter of 2015. Unemployment Rate in South Africa averaged 25.27 percent from 2000 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 31.20 percent in the first quarter of 2003 and a record low of 21.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008,” this is reported by the Statistics South Africa.