
Following a number of sporadic protests and looting throughout some provinces in the country by supporters believed to be protesting the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, Eastern Cape Community Safety MEC, Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe has pleaded with the people of the Eastern Cape to resist any temptation and any amount of lobbying to jump into the bandwagon.
Tikana-Gxotiwe has warned that the aftermath of such actions will be too much to bear and even harder to recover from for an already economically hamstrung province like the Eastern Cape.
The call comes as messages – whether fake of legitimate – continue to make rounds on social media, inviting the public to what is refer to as a “massive strike” targeted at the three of the provinces major cities, Gqeberha, East London and Mthatha as well as its capital, Bhisho between Tuesday (13/07/2021) and Wednesday (14/07/2021).
The economic impact of business destruction and looting, is likely to leave the masses of our people worse off than they may be right now, she said.
“We respect and support the people’s right to protests. But we are pleading with our people to be sensible when they embark on any protest. We are calling on them not to be drawn into any actions that may destroy their livelihoods and potentially pin the masses of our people into deeper poverty in the aftermath of their actions”, warned Tikana-Gxotiwe.
Tikana-Gxotiwe says law enforcement will be on high alert in the province. But she has called on members of the public to ensure that they still have infrastructure to utilise, work and businesses to still go back to when the lockdown restrictions are eased further. She has challenged the people of the Eastern Cape to rather work with law enforcement officers in upholding the Level 4 lockdown regulations and save lives.