Durban — Thousands of tyres have been removed by law enforcement authorities, including police, in eThekwini, Cape Town and Tshwane over the weekend.
On Sunday, the Durban metro police said motorists reported a bakkie seen offloading tyres near Link Road off-ramp under the Higginson Highway.
The metro police said it responded immediately and dealt with the driver.
“The driver was charged and the tyres were removed,” metro police said.
City of uMhlathuze councillor Henning de Wet said that thousands of tyres have been removed from public spaces all over South Africa in the past 48 hours in preparation for the ‘National Shutdown’ protest tomorrow (Monday).
“It’s actually shocking to see that tens of thousands of tyres are just ‘dumped’ all over. Surely they have to be worth something or be re-used for another purpose?
“This is a problem we have to solve!” De Wet said.
Law enforcement authorities in Cape Town have also been removing tyres believed to have been placed ahead of the national shutdown.
On Saturday, City of Cape Town's mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said: “Not in our City. Not in Cape Town,” on his Facebook page.
“Already our enforcement officers collected a few more hundred tyres throughout the night, where already we have impounded more than 2 000 tyres over the last 48 hours.
“To all the neighbourhood watches, to all the private security companies who have joined in the hunt and who themselves have reported also to have collected several hundred, thank you. Not in our City,” Smith said.
City of Tshwane councillor Shaun Wilkinson said: “100s of tyres are being collected. Well done Tshwane, TMPD, SAPS, CPFs and lots of local security companies.”
Meanwhile, also on Saturday, speaking on the national shutdown, metro police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said the right to peacefully demonstrate is enshrined in section 17 of the Constitution, provided that those demonstrations are done peacefully and participants are unarmed.
“We, as the Durban metro police service, have no intention of trampling on this right. However, section 36 does give us (police) the authority to limit these rights where it is justifiable.
“What we will be out to do is ensure that people are able to peacefully demonstrate without their demonstration being hijacked by acts of criminality,” Zungu said.
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