Police used water cannon and stun grenades to disperse a group of activists in Kayamandi township in Stellenbosch outside Cape Town.
The group under the banner, Jozi to Stellenbosch are protesting against the poor living conditions of black people and are also protesting against what they call the Stellenbosch Mafia and white monopoly.
Stemming from Youth Day, about 15 student activists aimed to walk from Johannesburg to Stellenbosch to campaign for change. A march through Stellenbosch was mobilised, but it failed to proceed much further under the strict police watch.
The protest aims to highlight what they call the unacceptable conditions black people live under.
Protesters says, “These comrades are saying let us merely accept the conditions of kayamandi. Let us accept the conditions of having no toilets, of having no electricity, of sitting on top of each other, of not being able to practice social distancing because there’s no land, so what we’re seeing here is them saying, continue contravening COVID-19 regulations by merely being cramped in your houses, in your townships, but They are saying, don’t go out and enjoy fresh air that’s in Stellenbosch.”
A number of protestors were escorted off by the police, but provincial officials say no arrests have been made.
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) leader Mzwanele Nyhontso says the living conditions of black people are unacceptable.
Nyhontso says, “We see this as an embarrassment that after 25 years of the so called democracy, black people are still living in squalor, black people are still living in shacks, while others are living in Stellenbosch enjoying the fruits of our own people.”
The Stellenbosch municipality says it is on high alert following threats of violence and intimidation.
Police disperse youth activists in Stellenbosch
Forum asks for community involvement in appointment of next police ombudsman
The African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum has called on the Western Cape government to ensure that the appointment process for the next police ombudsman in the province is fair and transparent.
The forum’s Chumile Sali says the provincial government should also consider nominations for the position from the public.
Advocate Vusi Pikoli was appointed as the first Ombudsman in December 2014. His successor, Major-General Johan Brand was appointed in September 2018 for a non-renewable five-year term.
During a webinar Sali said, “The appointment process should not only lay in the office of the Premiere, and consult certain bodies such as SAPS or the Metro Police. There should be an open process whereby the public can submit nominations and the nominations discussed openly in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature.”
Jozi to Stellenbosch | Youth activist march for freedom
