Atenkosi Plaatjie
Eastern Cape police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nomthelele Mene, says they have not yet received any reports of serious incidents linked to the National Shutdown called by the EFF.
Speaking to the media at the Boardwalk Mall along the Gqeberha beachfront on Monday, General Mene said however that two people were arrested, one in Nelson Mandela Bay for the possession of a firearm and another in East London for damaging infrastructure.
She said both arrests emanated from the operations being conducted by SAPS.
General Mene said SAPS in the Eastern Cape was monitoring the situation very closely.
"There are movements of some protests but most of them are peaceful. We have deployed the police in different areas, different malls and we are monitoring the whole set-up very closely," she said.
General Mene said Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and around Mthatha were identified as hot spots.
Commenting on some EFF members who were barred from entering the mall, Mene said that while the police respect that everyone has the right to protest but this cannot infringe on the rights of other citizens.
Meanwhile, a large group of EFF members converged outside the Boardwalk Mall earlier on Monday.
EFF Councillor, Khanya Ngqisha, said the protest was working very well as Monday was not business as usual.
"Many of the businesses have closed and you can see that it's not a normal business day although the government tried to make it seem that it would be business as usual," Ngqisha said.
He said police tried to intimidate their members and leaders had to intervene.
EFF MPL Natasha Ntlangwini slammed the government for not using its resources in crime hotspots where there have been mass shootings.
"Where are they for the rape crisis in this country, for crimes of shootings that are in the very same Gqeberha. Where is this police visibility in Zwide but for a peaceful protest in their numbers to come to preserve the Boardwalk," she added.
