Hout Bay erupts in protest action

Angry Hout Bay residents went on the rampage yesterday, burning vehicles, blocking roads and damaging property, the City of Cape Town said.

The residents from Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay claim they were promised formal housing by Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, pictured, following a devastating fire in March which left thousands of residents displaced, and say they are tired of waiting.

City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said many of the protest actions were criminal.

“The situation in Hout Bay has become very serious and it is clear it’s no longer a matter of community protest, but has now entered the realm of sheer criminality. Rioters have moved into side streets and smashed cars and windows. An attack on the Kronendal Old-Age Home was narrowly averted,” said Smith.

“The city’s law enforcement and disaster management mobile units, which were used as kitchens for the victims of a fire, have been completely destroyed.”

He said the city had deployed every available resource from traffic, law enforcement and metro police to the scene, while police had deployed the provincial public order policing unit to Hout Bay.

“The city calls on the South African police to please ensure that the video footage that has been collected of protesters engaging in public violence and damaging state and private property is used to effect arrests and to ensure that such individuals are prosecuted,” said Smith.

Meanwhile, police spokesperson Andre Traut said the public order policing unit members would be joined by their colleagues from the stabilisation unit and visible police “to maintain law and order”. – ANA

The city’s law enforcement and disaster management mobile units, which were used as kitchens for the victims of a fire, have been completely destroyed.

JP Smith City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security