The Failed 'national shutdown'

                          The failed “national shutdown”

The planned shutdown of the country by the EFF, which had been the subject of days' worth of publicity and threats of coercion, began on Monday morning. The demonstration, which was held the day before Human Rights Day and included complaints about rolling blackouts and President Cyril Ramaphosa among other things, effectively gave many people a four-day holiday. By mid-morning, 87 individuals had been detained, there had been occasional allegations of violence and intimidation, and law enforcement personnel were conspicuously present in key locations across the nation. Carl Niehaus and Duduzile Zuma were among the EFF leader Julius Malema's supporters as he led a march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

41 of the 87 people detained were in Gauteng, 29 in North West, and 15 in the Free State. In the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga, additional arrests had been made. Moreover, law enforcement had seized 24,300 tires. This comes after numerous neighborhood watch groups and community police forums reported seeing car tires dumped in certain regions prior to the planned shutdown, possibly to obstruct roadways.

"6,000 [tyres] were seized in the Western Cape, 4,500 in the Free State, 3,600 in Gauteng, 1,513 in the Eastern Cape, and a handful in other provinces," according to the report. These tires were positioned deliberately to facilitate criminal activity, according to NatJoints.

Limpopo, at Blood River hamlet outside of Polokwane, a bus operated by the government-owned Limpopo company Great North Transport was allegedly attacked by a gang of EFF members as it was transporting people to the city. Stones were thrown at the bus, bringing it to a stop. According to company spokesman Patrick Monkoe, the driver was transported to the hospital for observation after suffering minor injuries. At the Seshego police station, he will later open a case. Police were still compiling their report on the event as of the time of publishing.

According to a Daily Maverick reporter on the ground, everything is "business as usual" in the Polokwane city center, with taxis and buses running smoothly, stores open, and commuters making their way to work unhindered. To ensure law and order, there was a significant police presence, and taxi drivers patrolled the streets. In Seshego, the hometown of EFF leader Julius Malema, which is also one of the party's strongholds given that it now has eight wards, it was a slightly different sight. A Daily Maverick reporter went to Luthuli Park about 8 am, which is only a short distance from Malema's house. "A group of EFF supporters blocked the road at Seshego's extension, Luthuli Park, with burning tires, rocks, and other things.

"Police just arrived, and a police helicopter is flying above, keeping an eye on the situation. The police are clearly getting ready to fire rubber bullets because we can see them cocking their weapons.