Chaos erupts outside Nasrec as Operation Dudula clashes with police during G20 Summit
Tensions erupted outside the Nasrec Expo Centre as members of Operation Dudula clashed with police during the opening of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Protesters, including supporters from the Operation Dudula movement and the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party, demanded to be moved closer to the summit venue after they were confined to a picketing area more than one kilometre away.
When protesters tried to breach the restricted zone, police responded with stun grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray. Two Dudula members were arrested, and at least one police officer was reported injured.
Leaders of Operation Dudula, notably Zandile Dabula say they want the world’s attention on South Africa’s domestic crises, high unemployment, violent crime, and illegal immigration. Dabula accused authorities of ignoring ordinary South Africans while focusing on global events.
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), which coordinated security for the summit, had warned in advance that protests would be tightly managed. Deputy National Commissioner for Policing, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili, said protesters must act “within the proper directives … of the law.”
Despite the violence, NATJOINTS later stated that no major security breach had been recorded at the G20 summit.
In response to the protest, Gauteng authorities condemned earlier vandalism of G20 infrastructure around Nasrec.
