By the way things played out yesterday and on Wednesday, July 11, it seems certain that the protests in Hermanus are set to continue today.
A violent clash occurred between the police and hundreds of protesters in Zwelihle and Mount Pleasant on Thursday, July 12.
EWN reports:
Residents were caught in the middle of clashes between protesters and police officers. Demonstrators pelted police officers with rocks and petrol bombs, also burning tyres in the roads.
At least eight people have been arrested.
Take a look at the hectic footage:
News24 reporter Christina Pitt managed to capture more of the violence up close:
Police are firing rubber bullets at protesters in Schulphoek Rd near the mall. The whole community of about 30 000 people have decided to shut down Zwelihle.#Hermanus @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/iHmfSPJJ8K
— Christina Pitt (@ChristinaPitt94) July 12, 2018
Zwelihle is currently warzone. Residents are armed with rocks and are using corrugated iron sheets as shields from the rubber bullets.#Hermanus @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/q3kHZ8gvCg
— Christina Pitt (@ChristinaPitt94) July 12, 2018
By the by, buildings were also not spared.
A section of the Walker Bay Recycling Plant – a source of income for many residents in those areas – was torched, while the Hermanus Swimming Pool has also come under attack:
This Hermanus burning down today, if anyone is interested. No headlines. Carnage has become the norm here. When will this stop?! @steve_hofmeyr @adv_albert pic.twitter.com/THozMSGOpb
— Elsje Neethling (@ElsjeNeethling) July 12, 2018
These are the only buildings confirmed to have been destroyed or damaged – former disgraced Steinhoff head Markus Jooste’s property is still standing safe and sound.
Wednesday also saw a similar situation going down with a violent outcome:
Rocks were thrown while police attempted to address the crowd. Officers retaliated by firing rubber bullets and teargas at the crowd that had gathered in the main road.
However, per the News24 report, protesters say the unrest is not about land, as was the case in March:
Spokesperson for community organisation Zwelihle Renewal, Theron Mqu, told News24 that residents were no longer protesting about land. Instead, their intention was to demand that Zwelihle Renewal’s Gcobani Ndzongana be released from police custody.
Mqu said the unrest flared up on Tuesday night after a memorandum was handed over to the police to demand the withdrawal of charges against Ndzongana.
It was unclear what charges were laid against Ndzongana, but Mqu suspected that they could include incitement of violence and destruction of property.
Sounds a bit dodgy on both sides to me, but it’s clear that both parties aren’t going to budge.
Until Ndzongana is released, expect the protests to continue.
