A journalist was hit by rubber bullet fired by police while covering the taxi protests in KaNyamazane.
Mweli Masilela, a former SABC journalist and a news reporter for Newzroom Afrika, was shot on his cheek today by police who were dispersing the crowd.
On his Facebook page Masilela wrote: “Just got shot while covering the #TaxiShutdown in KaNyamazane in Mpumalanga. Police fired rubber bullets just a few minutes after arriving in the area to disperse taxi drivers who were blocking the road leading to the township”.
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Ms Aletta Khumalo, a resident who was at the scene, said she ran for her life as police fired teargas and rubber bullets at eOne to disperse the crowd.
“They never asked who was who and why cars were parked there, they just opened fire,” she said.
The road in KaNyamazane is now open.
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Rubber bullets were also fired at Mbombela Taxi Rank this morning when taxis blockaded the road near The Plaza.
Shop owners closed their businesses.
Lowvelder also learned that heaps of soil were dumped in the middle of the certain streets in Mbombela CBD. Riots also took place near Emoyeni Mall and in Nkomazi.
More information will follow a later. This is a developing story.