Durban — KwaZulu-Natal’s capital is on high alert after news of possible political protests in the coming days surfaced earlier this week.
The Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business has issued a communiqué saying that it had received a warning of possible unrest but has assured members in the city that the matter is under control.
The statement comes just days after the umbrella body’s leadership met with the top brass of the SAPS in uMgungundlovu to discuss threats of a shutdown.
“We’ve received a warning about possible protest action/unrest between the 21st and 28th July,” the letter began.
“There is a planned national shutdown by the mass revolution movement (the MKP and EFF, among others), over this period.” It further pointed out that there “were plans to monitor hot spots”.
“Please be vigilant and report unusual activity to me or the SAPS operational centre,” the communiqué stressed.
When approached to verify the contents of the letter and its origin, PMCB chief executive Melanie Veness confirmed they had held a meeting with the police. She said while they did have regular interactions with the police, they felt it was important to meet with the SAPS top brass in the region following rumours of a protest.
“This is not about being alarmist but is meant to give an assurance to the business community that, working with our partners, in this instance the police, the situation is under control,” she told the Sunday Tribune on Saturday.
Veness added that they were equally mindful of possible misinformation around the protest, but wanted to ensure that they were on the safe side.
There is a belief in some quarters that the intensity of the 2021 unrest had been underestimated and this was the reason behind the heavy losses that were suffered.
While the provincial police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda would not be drawn on the matter, he did say that “the province is stable and the police are on duty. Even those that were here for elections, they’re still around. So if anything should happen, the police will be ready.”
Pietermaritzburg was one of the cities heavily affected by the looting and the riots that occurred in July 2021 when former president Jacob Zuma was arrested. Some big retail stores and other businesses failed to recover from the unrest.
The latest warning comes just days after a series of protests in different parts of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, including the protest action on the R56.
An ANC leader in the Moses Mabhida Region, made up of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding towns, said they had noticed activities that sought to create unrest.
“We have an instance in Mshwati, near Wartburg, where members of the public attacked ANC councillors. There is this protest in Imbali township, especially on the R56, which sought to disrupt economic activity. So we are not surprised at all at rumours to create unrest,” the ANC insider added.
Meanwhile, MKP national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the police had previously warned about possible unrest, but it never happened. He said the business chamber was worried because they realised that the MKP was going to take back the province.
“They are trying to create panic and perceptions that we are warmongers. Whenever people are worried about their situation, they always project and default to using MK and the EFF, when they know that we have never been unpatriotic,” he said.
He said there was no reason to panic and there was no unrest on the cards.
Sunday Tribune