Today during a session of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), the FF Plus insisted that police stations across the country must be properly equipped to take timely and effective action against criminal elements who increasingly disrupt communities under the guise of service delivery protests.
In North West alone, the communities of Orkney and Zeerust have been forced to come to a standstill this week by, among other things, taxi associations that blocked the towns' main routes.
Such conduct frequently turns violent and results in critical infrastructure being damaged.
It is important to note that such unlawful conduct seems to have become the norm over the past few years, and there is no longer any regard for the legal procedures that make provision for orderly protest actions where the rights and interests of communities are protected.
Yet, action is rarely, if ever, taken against the instigators of such criminal conduct.
It seems that the interests of lawbreakers weigh heavier than those of law-abiding South Africans. It is absolutely unacceptable.
When the entrances to Zeerust were blocked today, the N4 national route was rendered inaccessible and matriculants were prevented from writing their final exams.
The transport of trade goods to and from Botswana was cut off, employees were unable to reach their places of work, and the operations of local businesses were disrupted for the umpteenth time.
The damage to the local and national economy is enormous, and the damage to matriculants' futures is far too great to be estimated.
It is time for the ANC government and the authorities to send a loud and clear message by taking firm action: South Africans' rights and interests weigh heavier than those of criminal elements who simply further their own interests.
South Africans deserve better than the ANC.
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