Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane has given permission to all government employees working in the Ehlanzeni District to work from home as protests continue in Mbombela.
The permission excludes police officers, medical personnel and other emergency workers.
“In view of the pickets, demonstrations and marches around the Ehlanzeni District, officials are hereby permitted to work from home until Monday,” said the premier in a notice circulated to the employees.
Spokesperson for the premier, George Mthethwa, told the Pretoria News safety was their main concern.
“We did this mostly out of concern for the safety of government employees working in the region. We know police are doing their best to prevent any injury or damage to property but police cannot be in every corner.
“We simply want to minimise any incidents that might negatively affect the safety of workers. The employees will continue to deliver services unhampered because we live in a 4th industrial era where they can work from home and ensure the government continues with its work,” said Mthethwa.
He confirmed that some physical events and hand-overs had to be postponed due to the shutdown.
“With all noble intentions, you might want to deliver a bridge but the current situation might result in the opposite being achieved and then you are back to square one. We will do hand-overs once things have quietened,” he said.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said 37 suspects were arrested on Wednesday night due to illegal conduct on the part of the protesters.
“We have arrested 37 suspects and we expect to make more arrests, especially now that we have confirmed a few sporadic incidents of burning of tyres and damaging of property.
“These people block certain sections to prevent motorists from accessing routes that lead to the city. When police arrive there they leave the area and start blockading a road elsewhere,” said Mohlala.
He said police had not slept since the protests erupted in the early hours of Wednesday.
“We are working around the clock to ensure that no lives are lost. Our teams are monitoring the situation closely to prevent these protests from going out of hand,” he said.
Independent analyst Dr John Molepo welcomed the work-from-home policy, but cautioned against violent protests.
“People have a right to protest, but this must not hamper service delivery or compromise the rights of others to work in a safe environment. The greatest issue here is that our people should avoid vandalising any property as this would reverse whatever it is that prompted them to protest in the first place,” said Molepo.
Pretoria News