Phoenix residents express mixed emotions ahead of Monday’s shutdown

Phoenix residents say they are concerned ahead of Monday’s national shutdown by the Economic Freedom Fighters.

The party is calling for an end to load shedding and for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.

Police Minister Bheki Cele visited Phoenix this morning and engaged with community members and businesses. The area emerged as a hotspot for racial intolerance during the civil unrest in 2021.

These residents say they have mixed emotions about Monday’s shutdown.

“There is nothing we could do about it, we have to wait and see. We are fed up with what is going to happen, so we are just on the lookout now. We are just a little bit more careful trying to buy extra groceries because we can’t say if they will burn the malls and stuff here. The CPF sent us messages saying that they are under a lot of stress, violence wise we were expecting it but luckily the police are here. We don’t have to worry as a person and as a mom I am worried definitely.”

Meanwhile, small businesses have expressed concern about the effects the shutdown will have on them.

Brian Phaaloh of the National General Secretary of the South African Informal Traders Forum shares more on the concerns:

Cele was speaking to the media in KwaMashu where he was assessing the province’s state of readiness ahead of the planned protest action …

Some emphasis on some other places but we are not going to give you those places because you have asked about a specific area one terrible thing that happened in that area was a high level of death but it creates a lot of racial tensions that one thing that we avoid at all cost maybe that why it is part of the area where we will go to as we finish here to speak to the people from all sides to say we should not come back to the racial or people getting killed and all that but the police and law enforcement agencies must also help that situation does not happen as it happed in July.)