DURBAN - POLICE Minister Bheki Cele has announced that police would soon arrest 12 well-known people for instigating violence which led to mass looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Cele said they were well-known people who had been pushing their campaign on social media.
Although he did not identify former Ukhozi FM personality Ngizwe Mchunu by name, the minister said there was a well-known person who called himself president, and that this person had spoken to hostel dwellers.
“There is this well-known person who called himself president and who addressed people at the hostel and insulted the president. We want to know who elected him and he is a president of what? He, as unelected president, can’t be allowed to insult the elected president. We will arrest him,” said Cele.
The Daily News understands that Mchunu addressed hostel dwellers at KwaMai Mai in Johannesburg on Sunday and on Monday.
He posted a video of the address on his social media platforms. In the clip he was heard calling himself president and saying that he was addressing the nation.
Cele said the person who called himself president and 11 others had been identified and that police would arrest them soon for instigating violence.
Mchunu denied insulting President Cyril Ramaphosa in his own “state of the nation address”.
Cele said the 12 were among those who had organised gatherings at Nkandla, therefore breaking Covid-19 protocols.
At Nkandla, several ANC councillors from eThekwini addressed supporters of former president Jacob Zuma the weekend before he was arrested.
Some of them carried firearms and fired shots in the air.
Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, Cele singled out a KwaDukuza Municipality ward councillor whom he said had carried an R5 assault rifle.
The minister said police had already picked up some of the people, but did not provide further details.
Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, might also face arrest for allegedly inciting people to protest.
Among her many tweets since her father handed himself over to police last week, was: “Mooi River we see you, amandla.”
This was regarded as inciting violence because her post was accompanied by a picture of burning trucks.
During the State Security briefing on Tuesday, minister Ayanda Dlodlo confirmed that her department was investigating the alleged involvement of State Security Agency members in the protests.
Durban Metro police deputy head Sibonelo Mchunu said they have been working with crime intelligence to make communities safe.
“The police are working flat out to ensure public safety. We discourage vigilantes. We are dealing with organised crime syndicates and not people who are poverty-stricken,” Mchunu said.
The eThekwini Municipality, working with the police, continued to safeguard key infrastructure to minimise impact on service delivery. The protests have also disrupted service delivery in the Msunduzi Municipality.
Waste collection and street sweeping services have been suspended until further notice. Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) facilities are closed: all Municipal PRC depots, nature reserves and nurseries, Botanic and Japanese Gardens, Zoos, Mitchell Park and Bird Park, swimming pools, libraries, cemeteries and crematoria. Beaches are still open and lifeguards are monitoring sites.
Msunduzi spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize said protests have affected a number of areas and parts of the infrastructure.
This followed a spree of looting in a number of shops, liquor stores, clothing and furniture outlets in most parts of the city. – Additional reporting by Zainul Dawood
Daily News