Egoli protests erupt in chaos
Police fire tear gas, rubber bullets in day of violence
NINE people were injured during the Egoli service delivery protests outside East London.
This was the official toll, but people in the community said 13 people were shot and wounded when police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades.
Tear gas cannisters were also fired at the protesters in a second day of violent clashes yesterday.
The protesters told the Dispatch 13 picketers had to be taken to Empilweni hospital with injuries after they were shot at close range.
Provincial health spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said: “We treated nine people from the protest. Four had stab wounds, and five had rubber bullet wounds. They were treated and discharged from Empilweni healthcare centre.”
About 2000 residents took to the streets yesterday to protest against lack of housing and removal of their ward councillor Miki Witbooi.
The Black Road was closed from the Sunnyside and Woolwash intersection. Traffic authorities were advising motorists wanting to use the Mdantsane-East London link road, to use the alternative Amalinda main road, Cambridge main road or Voortrekker road.
When the Dispatch arrived at the scene, the area was engulfed in thick, black rubber smoke from burning tyres. Tear gas burned the eyes and nostrils.
Police were seen firing rubber bullets at groups which dispersed, then gathered again. This happened three times.
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said public order policing used stun grenades and rubber bullets to “disperse unruly crowd and managed thus far to arrest six people in terms of the Public Violence Act. Despite opening fire, the community members are still continuing to burn tyres and other objects in the street at four different hotspot areas.”
Davian Estrees, 36, and Lundi May, 32, both from Vergenoeg, claimed they were standing around unarmed when they were shot.
Chief Khoisan Carmel Daniels, who said she was a Khoisan chief, said her husband Lincoln, 53, was shot twice in the leg. “We have a huge housing backlog and the ward councillor is overlooking us. We feel marginalised as the coloured community.”
Daniels said none of the 200 beneficiaries of RDP houses now under construction were coloured. “We have shacks here where 20 family members are crammed inside the shack.”
The clashes left a trail of destruction to property and terrified animals. Some houses had broken window panes.
Meldrick Present said he was taking his five-year-old son to pre-school when he was shot twice in the upper body.
Ilona Lewis, 48, said she was going to work when she was shot in the hand.
Bradley Roberts, 31, said his two female pitbulls had been traumatised by the thunderous stun grenades and that the dogs were shot with rubber bullets.
Roberts said his 15-year-old asthmatic sister, Nicole, had to be hospitalised after inhaling tear gas. “She was in her room preparing to leave for school and write exams when that tear gas can went through the window. She struggled to breathe.”
Antoinette Card, 54, said a rock came crashing through her asbestos roof and landed on her sofa.
Eastern Cape provincial health spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha denied allegations that the hospital had turned away wounded protesters.
“We had to call security and lock the hospital after protesters started running to hide inside that facility while some threatened to burn it and also threw racial slurs at our nurses.” —