At least 25 people have been arrested across the Cape Peninsula on charges of public violence and contravening sections of the Disaster Management Act. This follows various shutdown protests called by the Cape Coloured People’s Congress demanding, among others, houses and job opportunities.
Police fired stun grenades and teargas to disperse stone-throwing youths on the outskirts of Parkwood not far from the M-5 highway. It is one of the areas where protesters gathered during the shutdown demonstrations organised in mainly coloured communities across the city.
Protesters held placards along busy roads and intersections in Parkwood, Mitchells Plain and Heideveld to highlight their demands.
“Listen to our grievances, why are our people are marginalised, the police told us we have 10 minutes we cannot protest otherwise they arresting us, why are the citizens of South Africa not treated equally? We want them to stop marginalising us. We also want jobs so the community can stop begging for food, stop robbing people.”
In the video below, train services were affected by the protests:
Arrests
The 25 protesters were arrested in Mamre and Bellville South.
Police Spokesperson Novela Potelwa says the arrests were made in connection with a range of crimes, including public violence and contravention of parts of the Disaster Management Act.
“In Mamre, a group of about 200 protesters burnt tyres on Silverstream road and pelted police with stones. Police responded and six persons were apprehended. A police official was injured in the face during the commotion. Sporadic incidents of public violence also were reported in Belville South on Frank Lowe Avenue and Greenlands that resulted in 12 persons being arrested.”
The shutdown demonstrations take place at a time when the City is experiencing sporadic protests linked to land invasions on the Cape Flats.
