More vehicles torched in Westville
Violent protests continue over demand for land, electricity
TWO more vehicles were torched by residents from the Westville informal settlement near KwaDwesi as service delivery protests continued in the area yesterday. A police nyala and at least three metro police vehicles lined the dusty road entering the informal settlement in the event of any subsequent flare-ups.
Since the violent service delivery protests erupted several weeks ago, more than 13 vehicles have been torched, and a further 20 stoned on the New Mission Road.
Houses have also been damaged, while roads have been barricaded with burning tyres and concrete pipes.
A truck was set alight along the Old Uitenhage Road shortly after 11am.
Truck owner Ashraf Desai said they would now take more precautions when travelling in the area.
A VW Polo, from which the driver was lucky to escape unharmed, was also torched earlier in the morning.
The vehicle was set alight just after 9am by angry residents.
Desai, who spoke to the driver of the truck shortly after the incident, said it was returning from a delivery in Bloemendal and going to Booysen Park.
“A boulder was thrown in front of the truck, forcing the driver to stop,” he said.
“The driver was forced out of the vehicle and protesters attempted to drive it away, but failed.”
Desai said according to the driver, the protesters could have thrown a paraffin bomb at the truck causing it to catch alight.
“What the protesters are doing is totally wrong, they shouldn’t be damaging the property of innocent people,” he said. Desai claimed the police did nothing to prevent the incidents.
“If the police are not going to do what is needed to protect civilians, we will do what needs to be done to protect ourselves,” he said.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed the torching of the vehicles and said two cases of malicious damage to property had been opened.
She said the Polo had been stolen shortly before being torched.
Naidu said protests started up at about 7am yesterday as residents attempted to close the road between the R75 and Old Uitenhage Road using large concrete pipes.
This was cleared and roads remained open, with public order police monitoring the situation.
The violence follows demands by residents to have their shacks repositioned and supplied with electricity.
Residents are up in arms over the planned development by the Mzingisi Development Trust, the company responsible for housing development in the area.
The company is trying to relocate 3 700 households to make way for the development.
Community member Thobela Komani said the authorities were not listening to the needs of the people.
“The most urgent issue is to have our properties repositioned, which would ensure that we have a piece of land we can call our own,” Komani said.
“We were asked to relocate because they are building houses here for people from other areas.
“We will not move, if they want to build, they must build for us.”
Nosiphiwe Mani, 22, said: “I live with my 86-year-old grandmother, who moved here from New Brighton. How they can expect us to move from here is beyond me.”
“I was born in this area. If we leave here, we have nowhere to go.”