Nelson Mandela Bay as a district has been identified as a hotspot pertaining to protests taking place today, March 20 as part of the national shutdown.
Reports have been received regarding protests taking place at Pier 14, in front of The Boardwalk and at Corkwood Mall in Kariega. There have also been attempts to block the R75 with the M14 and M15 being closed due to burning tyres.
Not all protests have been volatile, however, with some just consisting of peaceful marches with chanting and blocking roads. Tyres have also been burning in Motherwell and Chelsea Road in Perseverance.
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor, Retief Odendaal, said that SAPS and Metro Security Services have been working through the night to monitor developments across the city.
“It is business as usual in NMB today. We are expecting to see some protesters in certain pockets across the city but not nearly in the numbers which we were led to believe we will see. I know public tensions have run high over the last couple of days as a result of incitement by irresponsible politicians. Whilst we respect the right to peaceful demonstration and protest, in NMB you will not be held ransom by anyone, group or political party,” Odendaal said.
Meanwhile, at a media briefing at The Boardwalk today, March 20, provincial police commissioner, Lt.Gen. Nomthetheleli Mene, said that apart from Nelson Mandela Bay, Mthatha and East London are also hotspots in the Eastern Cape.
“There are movements of some protests but most of them are peaceful. We have deployed the police out in the Eastern Cape in different areas and different malls and we are monitoring the whole setup very closely, not only here in Nelson Mandela Bay but across the whole province,” Mene said.
“What I can share is that we have not yet received any serious incidents that are related to the protests. Thus far, we have arrested an individual in possession of a firearm in the Gelvandale area. In East London there was an arrest for damage to infrastructure which is related to the protest.”
Mene added that she is satisfied with the manner in which police on the ground have exercised their authority in ensuring peace and stability during the countrywide shutdown protests. She believes that the atmosphere of stability must be attributed to the strictest security measures put in place ahead of the national shutdown.
Last night, some parts of the Eastern Cape have witnessed attempts by a few people that starting burning tyres and put rubble on the roads, but their plans were foiled by the police. All the national roads, highways and byways, including business properties are operating well and without any serious incidents reported.
“The SAPS is confident that the people of Eastern Cape, including their property, remain protected and safe. There is calm in all the areas where the criminal elements attempted to create a negative image of the Eastern Cape Province. Isolated incidents such as in Mdantsane in the early morning, were perpetrated by a few individuals who could not even be identified with known organisations. When the police arrived in those areas, the opportunistic criminal elements disappeared and they never resurfaced.”
Mene once again warned against acts of criminality and unruly behaviours.
“As the police, we recognise the right of the people to protest as enshrined in the Constitution, but if this right is abused and infringes on the rights of others, as security forces, we are obligated to act and act decisively against such elements. So far, I can confidently say that we are in control of the situation. We have managed to drive away those who wanted to take advantage in the morning. There is calm as we speak and we continue to keep a close eye in the situation.”
CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Denise van
Huyssteen, said that regarding businesses in the Bay affected by the protests,
most manufacturers that planned normal operations, were able to do so at
required production levels. Those in the services and retail sectors were
able to operate without major disruptions.
“There were
some manufacturers that were impacted by higher than normal absenteeism levels,
which in certain instances resulted in adjusted production or rescheduling of
shifts. Certain manufacturers in turn opted to produce over the weekend and
then to close on Monday and Tuesday (the public holiday),” Van Huyssteen said.
A few
manufacturers were impacted by gas shortages, due to the Coega IDZ substation
explosion incident which resulted in a number of businesses in the IDZ not
having power for more than a week.
“Stayaways,
protest actions and threats to business are not a solution to the country’s
electricity and loadshedding crisis and are deterring investors from risking
capital investment into rebuilding our economy and retaining much needed jobs.
The ongoing sustainability of businesses have been severely impacted by
loadshedding and now more than ever before, we need all the roleplayers to work
together to accelerate the implementation of solutions which will provide
reliable power that can meet the country’s existing and long-term energy
requirements,” she added.
“We welcome
the proactive initiatives of the authorities to ensure that strong policing and
security are in place around Nelson Mandela Bay. We further believe that this
level of security is required on an ongoing basis around key infrastructure
points to prevent the vandalism, theft and destruction of electrical
substations as well as water and sanitation pump stations and facilities.”
Members of the community are urged to report any act of criminality to the nearest police station or call the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111.
