- Following nameless threats of a national shutdown on Monday, law enforcement agencies have been on high alert throughout Sunday night.
- There were no reported incidents on the N3.
- Malls are among the hotspots being kept a watch on.
The N3 highway connecting Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal remains calm with free flowing traffic although law enforcement agencies remain on standby, the N3 Toll Concession said on Monday.
According the concession's operations manager, Thania Dhoogra, there were no reports of any disruptions to the flow of traffic on the N3 route between Cedera and Heidelberg on Monday morning.
Dhoogra said law enforcement agencies, South African National Defence Force and route incident management services were, however, on high alert, maintaining a visible presence on the route.
She added that advisories would be issued when and if the situation changed on the toll route.
The tight security on the route comes after threats of a national shutdown started circulating on social media last week. Most of the posters and posts didn't include information on who was behind the call. Many of the threats included calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.
The NatJOINTS on Sunday said it was aware of inflammatory messages on various social media platforms advocating for violence.
The structure called on community police forums to work with the police and mobilise against any form of lawlessness.
News24 also reported that more than 5 500 law enforcement officers and soldiers would also be deployed to Gauteng's streets amid the shutdown threats.
The NatJOINTS is aware of inflammatory messages on various social media platforms advocating for violence. Those behind these messages are warned that inciting violence is a criminal offence. Members of the public are cautioned against spreading such divisive messages. https://t.co/CwcMUCJYSj
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) August 22, 2021
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were the main provinces under threat during the first widespread wave of violence in July.
Shops were vandalised and looted, while roads and vehicles were torched.
JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said traffic flow was normal in the city.
"Officers have been on high alert throughout the night to monitor the N1, N2, M3, N3, N17, malls and shopping centres," Minnaar said.
He added that the law enforcement agencies would continue monitoring the situation throughout the day.
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