Police are continuing to monitor various areas across the city following this morning's protests against rising poverty, crime and high unemployment levels.
Thirteen 13 people have been arrested following run-ins with the police, with Brigadier Novela Potelwa urging protesters to do so peacefully, the SABC reported. The main areas where the protests took place were in Manenberg, Bonteheuwel, Hanover Park, Langa, Gugulethu, Kensington and Ottery.
"Police continue to monitor the situation, urging protesters to carry themselves in an orderly manner that does not infringe on the rights of others. In an effort to ensure the free-flow of traffic our forces are still deployed on the ground to monitor the situation," Potelwa said.
Potelwa said they were forced to fire stun grenades, water cannons and rubber bullets to restore calm in the Bonteheuwel area. Eight of the arrests were made in Bonteheuwel and five in Kensington followings protests in Voortrekker Road.
"In Bonteheuwel, on the corner of Bluegum Road and Jakes Gerwel Drive, eight people were arrested for public violence following run-ins with police that resulted in the disruption of traffic," the Western Cape police said earlier in a statement.
One of the organisers of Tuesday's shutdown, Gatto Wanza, was earlier quoted as saying the situation in Bonteheuwel escalated because police were preventing protesters from moving towards the highway.
"They are quite comfortable in allowing us to protest inside Bonteheuwel, but they are clearly protecting the interests of the wealthy by protecting the highway," Wanza said.
#TotalShutdownCT: Motorists told to brace for traffic disruptions over protests https://t.co/vVDYUUj5Dy pic.twitter.com/G4zmIJ77Bh
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Wanza said that this protest was just the beginning and that more protest action could be expected in the near future. "The actions by our communities show that they realise that government has no plan to help us out of our situation."
Safety and security Mayco member JP Smith said early this morning: "The organisers did not make any application in terms of national legislation (Regulation of Gatherings Act). The 'illegality' is moot due to the Constitutional Court ruling around RGA.
"The bigger problem is that the road closures are now not lawful and so protesters organised by Cosatu (part of national government and therefore part of keeping RGA legislation in place) are having tear gas shot at them at one location due to protests about the poor state of policing (which is competency of national government).
"It is time for provincial government to be given control of the policing function so they can fix the mess national government has made of it. This can happen through assignment of the function and would bring us closer to international best practice."