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Protests cost Cape Town millions in damages

police used teargas and stun grenades to disperse crowds in Kensington near the CBD.
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The City of Cape Town says the preliminary cost of damage on road surfaces during widespread protests in the metro on Thursday, is over a million rand.

Angry residents blockaded roads with burning tyres in various areas and police used teargas and stun grenades to disperse crowds in Kensington, near the CBD.

Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith said, “The damages to infrastructure is easier to calculate than the cost of emergency and policing staff who were unavailable due to the requirement for them to protect loss of life and infrastructure at the sites of protest.”

The cost of traffic congestion and the damage to the public image of the city in relation to its ability to attract employment and investment as well as damage to the tourism industry is in the millions.

Protests over housing took place in Delft and Ocean View.

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