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Tension rises in Kimberley amidst EFF national shutdown

───   14:21 Mon, 20 Mar 2023

Tension rises in Kimberley amidst EFF national shutdown | News Article

While tensions on the increase, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and South African Police Service (Saps) have taken steps to maintain order throughout the course of the national shutdown in Kimberley in the Northern Cape.

Law enforcement agencies continue to fire shots at protesters coming from Greenpoint, a small town about two kilometers outside the city. This after the protesters blocked some of the roads with stones and burning tires.


It is alleged the protest happened in the early hours of the morning, as debris could be seen scattered all over the road. The remaining few protesters were warded off with warning shots.

According to SABC News, Northern Cape police used rubber bullets to disperse a group of protestors.Two of the protestors were arrested on charges of public violence. This action has taken place in the midst of the EFF's national shutdown, which is pushing for the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa and an end to Eskom's loadshedding. The reactions of Kimberley residents to the shutdown have been mixed, with some going to work as usual.


The police have cautioned motorists driving over the N8 bridge en route to Kimberly, while more law enforcement agencies have been deployed as tension grows.

'Police suddenly well-equipped and everywhere'

Many have raised eyebrows regarding the sudden effectiveness of police in the country. The national shutdown has indeed shown that the country is capable of addressing issues contributing to the increase in crime.

There have been numerous complaints about police officials being understaffed and not having sufficient vehicles. Previously, OFM News reported that certain towns in the Northern Cape have next to no visible police.

ALSO READ: Concerns over Northern Cape Police services

Some regions of the province have a sparse number of vehicles policing the area. The police commissioner, Lt. Gen. Koliswa Otola, previously said that due to the service provider being in Johannesburg, securing parts to repair SAPS vehicles proves to be a tedious process.

Some EFF members have also expressed their astonishment at the sudden visibility of law enforcement agencies in and around the country.

"This is the same police that are not around when the crime stats are high, and all of a sudden they are well equipped and well staffed," the EFF chairperson, in the Free State, Mapheule Liphoko.

OFM news/Bambatha Giko & Kekeletso Mosebetsi

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