Fresh protests have erupted in the Johannesburg CBD on Sunday. Minister Bheki Cele was meant to meet with the community at a planned imbizo but he has since postponed his visit.
Johannesburg community leaders said they are giving President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Cele 24 hours to address their grievances on undocumented illegal foreigners.
The crowds walked off as Inkatha Freedom Party founder and former leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi tried to address them.
Buthelezi started by saying he was in Jules Park to speak as an elder, not a political leader, but the angry residents were having none of it.
Buthelezi pleaded with the residents not to paint all foreigners with the same brush, saying there were already reprisals in other countries.
Taking turns to address the crowd the leaders and elders from various regions said unemployment and crime perpetrated by foreign nationals were their top grievances.
The leaders said they were giving the president and the minister of police 24 hours to respond to their grievances.
Cele has appealed to communities to continue to respect the rule of law. Police officers have been deployed in areas affected by the protests.
People have been urged to avoid the area around the MTN Taxi Rank and surround where shops were being looted.
The police’s Mathapelo peters said: “Incidents of attacks on businesses have since been reported in parts of the CBD were police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets to restrain the growing crowd who attempted to move through the CBD. Many shops are currently closed as police are on high alert to ensure minimum damages and criminality.”
Source – EWN
In Other News – Gospel star Hlengiwe Mhlaba hospitalised after serious road accident
Gospel star Hlengiwe Mhlaba was involved in a serious car accident on Saturday afternoon.
The accident happened in Melmoth, northern Zululand. The singer, who is known for her powerful voice was travelling to Mpumalanga where she was booked to perform.
According to her spokesperson Nkululeko Khanye, the singer’s car rolled when she tried avoiding an oncoming car that was driving towards her.
Mhlaba sustained serious internal injuries and was admitted at a hospital in Empangeni, Kwa-Zulu-Natal, where she is under doctor’s supervision. see more
