Members of the EFF march through Hillbrow blocking off main intersections as part of their national shutdown. They sing and dance and encourage other bystanders to join the action. Picture: Timothy Bernard African News Agency (ANA
The police have arrested more than 550 protesters who were involved in public violence, attempted looting, damage to infrastructure and intimidation.
This was confirmed by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints).
It said it will continue to monitor the situation on the ground.
The government had deployed law enforcement agencies to ensure there was stability on the ground after it said threats of violence were made.
EFF leader Julius Malema had gathered outside President Cyril Ramaphosa’s residence, Sefako Makgatho’s guest house, in Pretoria, on Monday. He accused the president of privatising Eskom and other state-owned entities.
“Eskom is nothing except generation. Once you take away generation of electricity from Eskom it becomes a shell. Its role will only be to distribute, meaning Eskom will become a middleman between a person who generates electricity and ourselves who are consumers of electricity. We cannot afford to have Eskom as a middleman,” Malema said.
The EFF embarked on a national shutdown on Monday. It said the shutdown was an expression of the frustration of the people against high levels of crime, gender-based violence, unemployment, load shedding and the lack of service delivery that defines the lives of the poor in South Africa.
The other key demand for the reds was for Ramaphosa to step down as president.
Addressing the members, Malema thanked party members for their discipline throughout the protest and also urged them to stay away from trouble that will result in the EFF being blamed for the wrong reasons.
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