Law enforcement authorities in Mzansi are on high alert following calls for a national shutdown. The police made it they are aware of inflammatory messages on social media calling for a national shut down.
Messages have been flying on social media as well as on the streets, in posters, calling for a national shutdown, with people also calling on the undecided to support the same message. Amid the call, the KwaZulu-Natal chapter of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has loudly distanced itself from the noise.
Turmoil gripped South Africa recently following the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. Some aggrieved supporters of the embattled former president – and possibly some criminals -had attacked and looted businesses and burned others to the ground.
Determined to avert similar violence after a semblance of normalcy returned, police authorities had warned that it is a crime to circulate messages that incite violence. The authorities also made it clear they’re prepared to protect lives and property.
Some messages also doing the rounds where people are mobilising to respond to the #Nationalshutdown. The public is urged not to respond to calls for violence and criminality & discouraged from participating in activities that seek to defy the rule of law. https://t.co/ayZNmjCYNO
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) August 22, 2021
It remains to be seen if those calling for a national shutdown will have their way, or if the police will nip their shutdown plans before they blossom. Stay tuned for updates if you please.
