Western Cape MEC condemns violent protests
Western Cape MEC for Community Safety Albert Fritz has condemned the recent spate of violent protests in Cape Town.
CAPE TOWN, March 24 (ANA) – Western Cape MEC for Community Safety Albert Fritz has condemned the spate of violent protests in Cape Town that have affected traffic in both directions on the N2 highway.
The protests began on Tuesday morning when residents led by a group called Intlungu yaseMatyotyombeni started protesting for housing and service delivery.
Tyres and rubble were burnt as protesters shut down major roads in the Cape metropole.
Areas such as Khayelitsha, Langa, Philippi, Nyanga, Mfuleni and Kraaifontein have been affected.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Fritz said that while he supported everyone’s constitutional right to protest, resorting to violence and destruction was unacceptable.
He said it was dangerous and illegal to do so at the expense of the rights of others, especially their right to safety, to property and the right to move freely.
On Wednesday, protesters stoned vehicles and torched a Golden Arrow bus.
Fritz said violent protests must be condemned and that residents needed to be reminded that the destruction of personal and public property was a criminal offence.
He said the South African Police Service (SAPS) had deployed its public order policing (POP) unit to the affected areas and would continue to monitor protests.
Fritz said there were unconfirmed reports of taxi drivers firing warning shots at protesters in Makhaza.
He called for and urged residents to come forward to the SAPS with information on those perpetuating these crimes.
“Further, anyone with information pertaining to the warning shots allegedly fired by taxi drivers in Makhaza is asked to report such to their local SAPS, call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the Tip Off function on the MySAPS cellphone application,” he said.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher
