IRR asks Cele for clarity on preparations ahead of EFF’s planned Monday “shutdown”

17 March 2023

The IRR has noted statements reportedly made by the EFF warning that the planned action on Monday 20 March will be attended by looting.

News reports have referred to a video circulating online in which EFF members can be heard announcing the shutdown over a loudspeaker, using the words: “Close down all your businesses to avoid the looting. Close down all your shops to avoid the looting. Close down all your factories to avoid the looting. Close down everything. Nothing will be operating on that day. We are avoiding the looting. We are saying to you come and join the march, my brother. Come and join the march, my sister.”

Subsequent statements of concern about the threat of violence have emanated from a wide range of bodies, including the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal.

Therefore, the IRR has sent a letter to the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, requesting clarity on preparations being made to manage the risk of violence, including clear public communication beforehand.

We have asked for clarity on the following:

Is the South African Police Service prepared to manage the risk of violence attending the planned action on 20 March?

Does the Minister intend making any statement before Monday conveying the government’s evaluation of the seriousness, or otherwise, of the risks associated with the planned “shutdown”?

Will the Minister remind people that the right to protest is limited to the right to protest peacefully?

Will the Minister condemn any attendant intimidation or violence?

Will the Minister promote non-racialism by publicly affirming that every individual life is equally valuable and deserving of protection?

Will the Minister furthermore promote non-racialism by affirming that the guarantee against arbitrary deprivation of property, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, is non-racial, meaning it is a protection for all owners regardless of race?

Will there be any concerted effort to communicate the best way for citizens and residents to report any suspicious activity, including preparations that may be made for violence and intimidation associated with the planned action on Monday to the relevant authorities?

Will there be any concerted effort to accommodate armed citizens and private security organisations in defence of life and property within the bounds of the law?

The risk assessment, based on tracking decades of data on the political economy and the patterns of violence, is that the autumn and winter of 2023 loom as a high-risk period for public violence in South Africa. That means resources need to be carefully husbanded, and threats must be credibly assessed and not exaggerated in a knee-jerk fashion. Likewise, complacency is unaffordable. In finding the balance between complacency and hypersensitivity it is imperative to engage with the public transparently.

Said Gabriel Crouse, IRR Head of Campaigns: “The so-called shut down is best interpreted as the opening probe into what might become South Africa’s 2023 winter of discontent. Proponents of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) seek points of least resistance through which to propel their well-articulated agenda. However, where risk management is well prepared and transparently engaged to protect the interests of the law-abiding, violent proponents of the NDR are containable.”

Issued by Mlondi Mdluli, IRR Campaign Manager, 17 March 2023