Pretoria - Pretoria residents have been reminded that many of the streets around the Union Buildings will be closed tomorrow for the inauguration of President-elect Jacob Zuma.
Residents, motorists and the general public have been urged to make contingency plans as operations on Saturday will commence from 4am and last for almost the entire day.
Most individuals attending the inauguration will be able to make use of park-and-ride facilities around the city. This will ensure that the roads leading to the Union Buildings are kept clear and are not blocked by parked cars and buses.
Soutpansberg Road will be closed between Gordon and Hamilton streets; Government Avenue will be completely closed; Church Street will be closed between Orient and Athlone streets and Hamilton Street will be closed between Soutpansberg Road and Edmond Street.
The following intersections with Government Avenue will be closed: Blackwood, Pine, Beckett, East, Herbert, Percy, Eastwood, Balmoral, Dumbarton and Nassau.
The following intersections with Church Street will be closed: Athlone, Orient, Blackwood, Pine, Beckett, East, Lisdogan, Balmoral, and Dumbarton.
The following intersections with Soutpansberg Road will be closed: Beatrix, Hamilton, Union, Viljoen, August, Well, Blake, Peter, Bouwer, Parker, Bruin, Merle, Hadley Betty, Van der Merwe and Gordon streets, and Tom Jenkins Drive.
Tshwane Community Safety Department spokesperson Console Tleane has, however, assured residents that 865 Metro Police officers will be on duty to ensure traffic runs smoothly.
"The department is confident that it will ensure, working with other state security agencies, that the inauguration is conducted in a safe and secure environment," said Mr Tleane.
A further 360 Peace Development Project (PDP) officers will be deployed in the area. PDPs are young people who have basic training in road traffic control and crime prevention by identifying possible threats and alerting the Metro Police.
Additional to these, 18 fire-fighters and nine vehicles will be on duty while other fire fighters will be stationed at fire stations to respond to incidents.
"There will also be 18 disaster management personnel who will take control of command in the event of a disaster," said Mr Tleane, adding that in the event of a disaster, four areas have been identified for evacuation.
