President Cyril Ramaphosa will today undertake an oversight visit to eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, to assess the impact of recent public violence and the deployment of security forces.
According to the Presidency, the President will during the visit interact with the provincial government and security forces.
The President’s visit follows government’s engagements throughout this week with different sectors of society, including organised business, interfaith leaders and leaders of political parties represented in Parliament.
KZN and Gauteng this week were swept by waves of protests that escalated in violence and the looting and destruction of businesses and public infrastructure.
President Ramaphosa, amid the chaos, deployed 25 000 members of the South African National Defence Force to assist members of the South Africa Police Services and metro police to restore order.
On Thursday, Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni revealed that 117 lives had been lost in this week’s mayhem. A total of 1 478 were arrested for public violence and other related charges in the two provinces.
While relative calm has returned in Gauteng, with community and government-led mop up operations underway, KZN remains volatile. – SAnews.gov.za
