Justice and Crime Prevention cluster to brief the media as troops are deployed to quell violence
The cluster is expected to outline the measures underway to deal with the situation and restore law and order in all affected areas.
Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Monday night, the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security (JCPS) cluster will brief the media on the containment of violent protests taking place in some parts of the country on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa has drawn a line in the sand amid the escalating violence and anarchy in parts of the country, saying: "What we are witnessing now are opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft. "
Ramaphosa gave the green light for troops to be deployed to violent hotspots.
“There is no grievance, nor any political cause, that can justify the violence and destruction that we have seen in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.”
The cluster is expected to outline the measures underway to deal with the situation and restore law and order in all affected areas.
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The briefing is scheduled for 10 am on Tuesday morning.
On Monday morning, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS)'s Colonel Brenda Muridili said a total of 489 people have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal (166) and Gauteng (323).
The NatJOINTS welcomed the deployment of the SANDF, saying they have intensified deployments in all the affected areas in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng "and these will be augmented by the SAPS’s measures being put in place to call up operational members from leave and rest-days to increase the presence of law enforcement personnel on the ground."
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
