“Today's protest action near Port Shepstone” - https://youtu.be/7nxyI9T1Jw4
“N2 Freeway Watch Latest: Service delivery protestors burn trucks”- https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/n2-freeway-watch-service-delivery-protestors-burn-trucks/.
Motorists have been warned to avoid the N2 freeway at Ezinqoleni, Padock and Harding after trucks were set alight at Umtentweni.
A mob of angry protestors have now allegedly set several trucks alight on the N2 freeway on Tuesday afternoon as commuters head home for the day.
Earlier on Tuesday police arrested three suspects for arson and public violence at noon following the service violent protests that broke out in the early hours of the morning.
According to reports and videos posted on social media from the scene protestors set a municipal buildings and a state owned vehicle alight. They blocked the N2 at Izingolweni between Hibberdene and Port Shepstone with burning tyres and rubble from around 4.30am in the morning. A heavy police presence is now monitoring the area.
This video of a burning truck has been circulating on social media on Tuesday afternoon with warnings to avoid the N2 freeway.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Peggy Nkonyeni earlier said police had arrested three suspects for public violence and arson in connection with the burning of a state owned tractor and a municipal building.
She also condemned the destruction of infrastructure and malicious damage to property and called on police to act swiftly against perpetrators.
”Public Order Police together with the South African Police Service’s Tactical Response Team have been deployed to the area and the situation is receiving urgent attention. We have directed police to act swiftly and so far, three people have been arrested for public violence and arson,” she said.
“The arrested suspects must face the full might of the law because we want to ensure that protesters who cause anarchy and vandalise state property deal with the consequences of their criminal actions. While community members have the freedom to exercise their constitutional rights to protest and display their dissatisfaction with lack of service delivery, they should do so within the confines of the law without resorting to criminality or endangering the lives of law-abiding citizens,” Nkonyeni said. [She is only concerned about state property.]
She said a heavy police presence including Public Order Police, the SAPS Tactical Response Team and local police had been deployed to monitor the situation in the affected areas.