Mitchells Plain 'lockdown' message not true

Mitchells Plain community activists said that widely circulated social media messages warning of a lockdown in the Cape Town suburb ahead of a march on Thursday evening were not true.

Police reinforcements have been deployed in the area‚ where one person has died and two were injured in violent service delivery protests.

Residents living in the Siqalo informal settlement – demanding access to land and electricity – have been involved in a tense stand-off with police and their neighbours in Mitchells Plain.

But while the situation remained tense‚ officials said messages claiming a complete lockdown in the area were untrue.

The city’s director of safety and security Richard Bosman said in a statement on Thursday: “A broadcast message has been doing the rounds this morning warning of another protest and creating panic for Mitchell’s plain residents‚ following last night’s violence.

“Traffic authorities say they have not approved any road closures.”

Mitchells Plain United Residents Association spokesperson Michael Jacobs said that community members had agreed to not hold any further protests after a meeting with Premier Helen Zille earlier in the day.

“Both communities will refrain from any protests until the issues are finalised. They are planning to meet with the Siqalo committee and Mitchell's Plain community members and create a joint steering committee‚ so that these are dealt with in a sustainable way. and we prevent these problems in future‚" he said in a statement.

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