MARK CARRELS, FAITH QINGA and SUE MACLENNAN
Port Alfred’s CBD was eerily quiet from the crack of dawn this morning. Pedestrians on their way to workplaces that had opted to stay open, and joggers made up most of the early morning traffic, with schools anyway closed because of tomorrow’s public holiday.
It was business as usual from the point of view there were no major disruptions; however, some outlets opted to keep their doors shut for the day. From 9am, when most trade usually begins, it was still quieter than normal for an ordinary work day.
Ndlambe Municipality was open with staff at work and scheduled meetings going ahead.
“It is definitely business as usual,” said one Ndlambe staffer. “Some business are closed because they were fearing vandalism.”
Vehicle patrols by local security companies, traffic officials and the South African Police Service were visible in the town’s centre. Shops at Rosehill mall that had been open earlier closed their doors around 10.15am following an unconfirmed report that a group of protesters had left Kenton and were on their way to Port ALfred. There was still no sign of such a group by midday; however, the centre’s management said it was unlikely Rosehill Mall would re-open on Monday.
Outlets at Heritage Mall in the CBD also opted to close their doors in response to the unconfirmed report. They later re-opened.
Port Alfred taxis operated intermittently today, said deputy chair for Uncedo in Ndlambe, Ayanda Zoli.
“Some employees stayed off work,” Zoli told Talk of the Town.
However, no disturbances or disruptions had been reported and it had been a quiet morning. There were very few taxis on the road today with some owners opting to leave their taxis parked at home.
The intersection of the R72 and R43 opposite the entrance to Kenton-on-Sea was blocked with a barricade of burning tyres around sunrise; however, public order police removed the barricade and the road was open shortly after 7am.
Makhanda
A group of around 30 EFF Student Command members was gathered at the Drostdy Arch at the intersection of High Street and Somerset Street in Makhanda around midday on Monday March 20.
From early this morning, a large contingent from the South African Police Service stood ready at Makhanda’s traditional gathering spot for protests, Soccer City in Raglan Road.
A steady stream of people was heading into town along the usual pedestrian commuter routes between 7am and 8am.
As far as taxi operations were concerned, Uncedo’s Lungisa Sixaba, who heads the Makana Transport Forum, said it was business as usual.
Sixaba spoke to Talk of the Town at one of the taxi associations’ monitoring points around 8am.
“So far it’s business as usual,” Sixaba said. “We don’t know how things will be later, but for now it’s quiet.”
The two major taxi associations, Uncedo and Border Alliance Taxi Association (Bata) were working together closely to monitor the situation and manage the safety of drivers and commuters today, he said.
Station Commander of Grahamstown Police Station Colonel Mbulelo Pika, who was at the Raglan Road site, said there had been no incidents reported in the precinct.
Eastern Cape
The South African Police Service Management in the Eastern Cape expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the police on the ground had exercised their authority in ensuring peace and stability during the countrywide protests.
In a statement issued shortly after midday today, spokesperson COlonel Priscilla Naidu said, “This atmosphere of stability must be attributed to the strictest security measures put in place ahead of the national shutdown. The integration of law enforcement agencies has been deployed in various parts of the Province in order to prevent any possibility of criminal activities which could arise during the protest actions.”
Naidu said that on the eve of the protest marches, groups some parts of the Eastern Cape had burnt tyres and put rubble on the roads.
“Their plans were frustrated by the alert police who were ready to stop their actions,” Naidu said. “All the national roads, highways and byways including business properties are operating well and without any serious incidents reported.
“The SAPS is confident that the people of Eastern Cape including their property remain protected and safe.”
Naidu said there had been isolated incidents such as in Mdantsane in the early morning.
“[These] were perpetrated by a few individuals who could not [be associated] with known organisations. When the police arrived in those areas, the opportunistic criminal elements disappeared and they never resurfaced.”
SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene again warned against acts of criminality and unruly behaviour.
“As the police we recognise the right of the people to protest as enshrined in the constitution, but if this right is abused and infringes on the rights of others, as security forces, we are obligated to act and act decisively against such elements. So far, I can confidently say we are in control of the situation, we have managed to drive away those who wanted to take advantage in the morning. There is calm as we speak and we continue to keep a close eye on the situation,” Lieutenant General Mene said.
Members of the community are urged to report any act of criminality to the nearest police station or call the Crime Stop number 086 00 10 111
The police have asked the public to report any criminality they witness during the current protests. Sometimes the 10111 line doesn’t work, however, so here are the local station numbers:
SAPS SERVICE CENTRE NUMBERS IN NDLAMBE:
Port Alfred
072 303 8402
046 624 4423
Bathurst
046 625 0636
Kenton
046 648 1222
046 648 2312
Nemato
046 624 1238
Seafield
046 675 1113
Alexandria
046 653 0015
AND MAKHANDA
Grahamstown Police Station (Beaufort Street)
046 603 9152
Joza
046 602 2710
046 602 2742
