City of Cape Town law enforcement officers have removed hundreds of tyres placed in strategic areas across the city, allegedly ahead of the EFF’s planned countrywide shutdown on Monday.

The EFF is organising nationwide marches to protest against load shedding, and it is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.

Law Enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said officers collected hundreds of tyres in areas like Old Strandfontein Road, Baden Powell Drive, Viking Way in Epping, and Parkwood in Grassy Park.

“Officers have collected hundreds of tyres already since Tuesday. [We] are aware of this, and officers have been doing patrols looking for batches of tyres placed at strategic spots, ostensibly to use on the day of the shutdown,” Dyason added.

Dyason said more tyres were dropped off at some locations after the initial batches were removed.

“We ask members of the public to be our eyes and ears and report the dumping of any tyres,” Dyason added.

On Friday morning, law enforcement officers were out in full force again after receiving information that more tyres were being placed in some parts of the city.

In a Facebook post, Safety and Security Mayco Member JP Smith said that by 11:00 on Friday, 249 tyres had been confiscated.

The EFF has vehemently denied the claims that it was stashing tyres all over Cape Town.

“We have no knowledge of this at all. There is no proof that the tyres belonged to the EFF. What if those tyres are being sold by people wanting to make money?” said Western Cape EFF spokesperson Wandile Kasibe.

“The tyres are not red and not branded with the EFF name, so there is no way our people placed those tyres around Cape Town.”

He said the tyres could belong to scrapyards or people who sell tyres.

Western Cape Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagan Allen said, “it is likely that this may be used in the Monday protest to block roads”.

“The tyres are being dumped now as it may be difficult to transport tyres to areas by want-to-be strikers whose aim is to block roads with burning tyres and create blockages as part of their protest,” Allen said.

ALSO READ: Civil society organisations oppose EFF ”shutdown”

Meanwhile, the City’s Urban Mobility department assured Capetonians that the MyCiTi bus service planned to operate normally on Monday.

“The bus service will be monitored in conjunction with the Safety and Security Directorate, and any reported incidents or disruptions will be attended to as and if they occur. Law enforcement will assist by patrolling and escorting buses where possible in identified hotspots. We will do everything in our power to ensure that our MyCiTi bus service operates as scheduled,” the City said in a statement.

Regarding the planned shutdown, the City said the right to protest did not supersede the right to freedom of movement, the right to move without fear of harassment and intimidation, and the right to earn a living.

“We will not be intimidated from acting against anyone who displays violent behaviour during the protest. We will be monitoring all routes to ensure that a close eye is kept on public transport.

“The City will not tolerate thuggish behaviour on the day, and all necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of commuters and other operators as far as possible.

“We refuse to be bullied into not providing services to those who simply want to go to work and put food on their families’ tables, and we would like this to serve as a reminder to those who plan to protest on Monday that violence that results in damage to public and private property is not a lawful protest, and will be seen for what it is, rioting and criminal,” the City of Cape Town statement read.

Earlier, national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe warned that the police would be on high alert on Monday.

“Any action in contravening the law will be dealt with accordingly. We are urging members of the public to refrain from [sending] messages that seek to mobilise citizens to join in these planned protests.

“We will not tolerate any lawlessness and acts of criminality. If people are found to be looting or [destroying] any private or public property, they will be dealt with accordingly, within the ambit of the law,” Mathe said.

News24