The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has welcomed the return to work of municipal workers in eThekwini who have been on strike.
Mkhwanazi said that police resources in eThekwini have been stretched to the limit since the strike began as police officers had to be deployed to respond to violent protests, as well as protect critical infrastructure.
“Law enforcement officials were deployed to escort municipal vehicles such as refuse and water trucks, as well as technicians responding to water and electricity faults.”
Mkhwanazi added that officers from the Public Order Police Unit were deployed strategically to swiftly quell protests related to the strike, as well as community protests that flared up afterwards due to the service delivery grievances that resulted from the strike.
“Police officers were deployed to guard national key points, as well as key municipal infrastructure, during this period and as a result these key points were not vandalised.”
Mkhwanazi said that investigations that resulted from the strike had been centralised to a team of detectives from the eThekwini District and are prosecutor-guided. “Detectives are currently investigating 31 cases related to the strike, including damage to critical infrastructure and public violence.
“Twenty five suspects have been arrested and have been released on bail following their court appearances.”
Mkhwanazi added that police also responded to 30 community protests that arose following the municipal strike and 20 persons have been arrested for various offences. “The provincial commissioner commended law enforcement officials in eThekwini for their dedication towards keeping communities safe and protecting our infrastructure during this trying period.”
Mkhwanazi said that he had assured communities in eThekwini that deployments would remain in place until the situation returned to normality. “We appeal to our communities to refrain from blockading routes and further damaging roads, as well as other infrastructure, as officials work towards returning municipal services to affected communities.”
The Mercury