Police Minister Bheki Cele has confirmed that it is business as usual with people commuting to work despite the planned national shutdown taking place on Monday.
“There has been a few incidents few but I saw nothing indicating a shutdown because a shutdown is when life stops, that is how it is organized. The situation been normal I checked eThekwini life is normal and I checked Cape Town, life is normal,” the Minister said on Monday.
The Minister was also on the helicopter that was monitoring various areas in Gauteng.
Addressing members of the media in Soweto, Cele said that police had responded to the few incidents where people attempted to break the law.
The Minister was visiting families that were affected by the public violence and malicious damage to property after an explosion caused damage to a house in Pimville, Soweto. There were injuries that were reported as a result of the incident.
“Clearly, there is thuggery and criminality. The damage seems to be significant and it does look like the explosion was powerful. We hope the police will be able to find the perpetrators. We are taking the matter seriously, that is why our forensic people and Hawks are here,” Cele said.
Police seized some sharp nails that were leftover from the commercial explosives. They have indicated that the explosives that were used in the explosion are oftern used in mines and during ATM bombings.
The Minister confirmed that law enforcement officers through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) arrested 87 protestors across the country for public violence related offences.
The arrests follows the announcement by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) that they will be taking to the streets in a planned national shutdown on Monday.
Forty-one people were arrested in Gauteng, 29 in North West and 15 in Free State.
At least 24 300 tyres have been confiscated by law enforcement agencies. These were tyres that were strategically placed for acts of criminality.
About 6 000 tyres were seized in the Western Cape, 4 500 in the Free State, 3 600 in Gauteng, 1 513 in the Eastern Cape and a few in other provinces. –SAnews.gov.za
