POLL | Do you think police did enough in Nkandla?

The police have responded to claims that they did not do enough to enforce lockdown regulations at Nkandla over the weekend, claiming they prevented possible bloodshed.

Hundreds of supporters gathered at former president Jacob Zuma's homestead on Sunday, in violation of the Disaster Management Act which under adjusted alert level 4 lockdown prohibits any gatherings.

Gunshots were heard as crowds sang and danced, with police minister Bheki Cele saying more than 100 people came from nearby hostels, many of them armed.

Scores in the crowd were not wearing masks or social distancing.

“The minister of police is convinced that if the situation in Nkandla was handled differently it could have resulted in a very violent situation,” police ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba told SAfm this week.

Former DA MP Phumzile Van Damme was among those who questioned the conduct of the police, calling on them to “enforce the law in Nkandla”.

Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi also weighed in on the gathering, predicting that it could result in a spike in Covid-19 infections.

“I shudder to think of the after-effect of the Nkandla gathering with the current variant. After the Pretoria march, court protest in Joburg and marches in Soweto we saw numbers surge to above 26,000 last night,” the minister tweeted on Sunday with the latest Covid-19 stats.

Speaking at the SAPS Covid-19 vaccination drive launch in Orlando, Gauteng, on Monday, police minister Bheki Cele applauded the police for staying calm amid insults hurled at them on Sunday.

“We had to absorb those insults and complaints. The SAPS has learnt through Marikana and we don't want to go back there,” he said.

The EFF also praised the police, saying they avoided bloodshed.

“The law does not demand of the police to exercise brutality. Rather, police must be strategic and prioritise the lives of people above cheap attempts to proving their strength and authority,” it said in a statement.

“The actions of the SAPS in Nkandla were decisive, considered and mean that the nation avoided another Marikana moment.”