National Shutdown: EFF Protest Picks Up Momentum Across the Country With Some Businesses Closing Shop

• Members of the EFF are forging ahead with the national shutdown
• People across the country have started to gather in numbers at various locations in provinces such as Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape
• South Africans have various opinions on the EFF's national shutdown, with some saying it cannot be business as normal

JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters; national shutdown has picked up momentum despite the increase in police presence nationwide.

EFF members have started gathering nationwide to embark on the national shutdown at various meet-up points.

The party shared various clips of the mobilisation across the country. In Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, some businesses have closed their doors, and in Cape Town, Western Cape, masses of people have taken to the streets.

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More people have started to gather in Johannesburg townships such as Thembisa and Alexandra, just a few kilometres away from Sandton. In Tshwane, more and more people are gathering at the Union Buildings.

The EFF secretary-general Marshall Dlamini leads protestors on a peaceful march in Ethekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

Police arrest 87 protestors across the country

Police Minister Bheki Cele has confirmed that the police have been working hard to prevent criminality ahead of the Economic Freedom Fighters' national shutdown.

Cele stated 87 people have already been arrested across the country, 41 were arrested in Gauteng, 29 in North West, and 15 in Free State province, reports the Mail & Guardian.

Police and private security companies confiscate tyres

According to IOL, the police and private security companies personnel have been stationed at various hotspots across the country. They managed to seize 24 300 tyres from under bridges and road intersections.

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South Africans share their thoughts on the EFF's national shutdown

@NtandoKubeka said:

"No #NationalShutdown in Richards Bay, it’s just a normal day as usual. No students, no leaders."

@Lloyd_LTS said:

"Someone wrote: It's funny that it always 'why are people not protesting about load-shedding and unemployment', 'why are people not more outraged' and 'why is EFF silent', until the EFF organises a national shutdown, and then it's 'we cannot tolerate such lawlessness'."

@PrinceKaybee_SA said:

"We can’t continue as if all is normal, all South Africans who are pained and annoyed by the state of our country should support the #NationalShutdown."

EFF kicks off national shutdown early in Chatsworth, Durban, man arrested for transporting tyres

Briefly News previously reported that the EFF started the national shutdown early, with members and supporters spilling into the streets of Chatsworth, Durban, on Sunday night, 19 March.

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Before the protests, a man allegedly transporting and storing tyres throughout the area was arrested on Link Road.

Durban Metro Police released a statement claiming that motorists tipped the police off about a suspicious vehicle offloading tyres in the area. Officers responded swiftly, charging the driver and confiscating the tyres.

Source: Briefly News