The KZN MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, has assured the public, especially those who will be going to work on Monday, 20 March, that they will be protected during the planned national shutdown.
Hlomuka was responding to the move by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) calling on the public to take to the streets in a planned national shutdown on Monday.
Schools will not be affected on the day as learners will not be attending classes due to a Human Rights holiday, which falls on Tuesday.
“We therefore appeal to all parents to make sure that their children do not participate in the planned protests. As part of our operational plan, we have additional deployment that will be dedicated to this protest action,” Hlomuka said during a media briefing in Durban.
As of Friday, all units and deployment teams from various districts have been activated and are placed on high alert.
As part of the deployment mechanism, the MEC explained that members of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI), Public Transport Enforcement Services (PTES), Metro Police and other municipal traffic officials will be managing all strategic points.
Public Order Police (POP) will also be deployed in areas that are perceived to be more fragile and seen as hot spots, “as they are trained in crowd management and control.”
