South Africa: Protestors reportedly looted and burned a shopping mall along N4 near eMalahleni, overnight Nov. 7-8

Event

Protestors looted and burned a shopping mall along the N4 near eMalahleni, Mpumalanga PRovinceovernight between Nov. 7-8. Residents of the Vosman community, about 10km (6 miles) east of eMalahleni, began by blockading the N4 to protest against rolling electricity blackouts Nov. 7. Police removed the roadblocks later Nov. 7 and traffic has resumed along the N4 as of Nov. 8 with a strong police presence in place. Authorities are investigating the reports of one fatality and two injuries sustained by protestors during the intervention.

The area will likely remain under close security monitoring in the coming days, and opportunistic looting could spread beyond the Vosman area. Police remain on high alert, and are likely to deploy to remove roadblocks that protesters may erect. Further clashes with protesters could occur. Any further protests will cause significant transport disruptions. Altercations between demonstrators and drivers are also possible.

Advice

Consider avoiding impacted routes along the N4 until the situation stabilizes. Avoid all protests. Do not drive through protester roadblocks until officials have cleared them. Heed the instructions of officials. Reconfirm the status of road routes before departure.