The EFF national shutdown kicked off at the stroke of midnight with clashes between protesting students and public order police in Braamfontein, Gauteng, in the wee hours of Monday morning.
Watch: Police clash with protesters in Braamfontein
The nationwide strike against President Cyril Ramaphosa‘s tenure and ongoing loadshedding started in Johannesburg’s city centre with groups of protesters clad in Red Berets’ regalia.
It seems the early start to the EFF national shutdown was unwelcomed by law enforcement officials, whose no-nonsense attitude toward the strike was drilled by Police Minister Bheki Cele during his state of readiness speech on Friday, 17 March 2023.
“You must uphold the law but more importantly enforce it with minimum force. All police vans must be on standby and make sure that anyone who breaks the law is behind bars. Make sure that anyone that breaks the law, the law takes its course,” Cele told a multidisciplinary parade on Friday.
From the videos you can see below, public order police broke up crowds with stun grenades and rubber bullets and made several arrests.
Details are still sketchy but according to supporters of the EFF national shutdown, protesters had not committed any crime when public order police gatecrashed their demonstrations.
Here are some of the videos of the violence that broke out in Braamfontein.
PLEASE NOTE: The content embedded in this article contains images of a graphic nature that may be harmful to sensitive audiences. Viewers’ discretion is strongly advised. Swisher Post, its parent company, partners and affiliates do not condone violence and/or bullying and, thus, shall not be held liable for any consequence that arises from the journalistic duties performed in sharing this content.
EFF national shutdown: Police details plans to quell violence
The EFF national shutdown is set to continue on Monday with widespread unrest expected in South Africa’s major cities. The violence seen in Braamfontein was only a teaser to what’s expected as the day progresses.
In a bid to maximise efforts to quell the violence, President Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of more than 3 400 members of the South African army, to join other organs of law enforcement in monitoring the EFF national shutdown.
In Cape Town, much like elsewhere in South Africa’s metros, police have pulled out every resource available “to respond promptly and accordingly to incidents of lawlessness.”
In a statement, Western Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed officers will be deployed on foot, horseback, in vehicles and motorbikes, and to cover wider areas identified as hotspots, SAPS will deploy air support to curb violence at all costs.
“A plea is made to the organisers and participants of the planned action to respect the rule of law as law enforcement officials will not hesitate to take decisive action against those who break the law and infringe upon the rights of others. Ladies and gentlemen, a dedicated contingent of detectives from the South African Police Service will be on hand to investigate reported cases,” the police statement read.