Police called in as EFF members protest at Greenacres
A GROUP of about 120 EFF members protested at the Greenacres branch of Shoprite this weekend, leading to a stepped-up police presence in the centre yesterday.
Public order police were sent to the centre and closed the store during the incident. One protester was arrested and charged with trespassing.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said after the crowd was ousted from the shop, it had regrouped in the carpark.
“The group then marched to the nearby Checkers [at the other side of Greenacres] and attempted to gain entry to that shop. Police managed to close the shop doors before they got in,” Naidu said.
“After several warnings for the crowd to disperse, one stun grenade was used in the carpark. No shots were fired.”
Nkosiyoxolo Mncam, a member of the regional leadership of the EFF, said the protest was to draw the attention of Shoprite management to its demands. These include:
All temporary employees of more than three months to be made permanent; Transformation of senior management;
The supermarket chain must take ownership of social responsibility projects in the community.
“We went as a group of EFF members to Shoprite to do a peaceful demonstration against the exploitation of workers at Shoprite,” he said.
The group started its action at the Govan Mbeki Avenue branch of the store in May and this was its fourth protest, Mncam said, adding that the group planned to continue every Saturday.
Due to threats made by the group that it would return yesterday, Naidu said police posted additional staff at Greenacres yesterday but there were no reports of any further protest action.