Councillors among group held for torching metro offices in Pretoria
Informal settlement residents marched to the municipal offices in Atteridgeville to be addressed by the MMC for infrastructure.
The building that was set alight on Monday. Image: Twitter/@Abramjee
Seven people, including councillors, were arrested for public violence after allegedly setting a municipal building on fire in Atteridgeville on Monday, reports Pretoria North Rekord.
About 4,000 residents from Jeffsville and Phomolong informal settlements marched to the municipal offices in Atteridgeville to be addressed by the MMC for infrastructure, said police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele.
He said that the community marched from 7.30am towards the municipal offices, where they waited for the MMC.
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“It is alleged that the protesters started getting impatient after realising that the MMC was not coming. The protesters became unruly and threw stones and bottles at the police.
Building set on fire in Atteridgeville Pretoria. pic.twitter.com/Whc6Vwin1e
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 27, 2019
“Public order police unit members warned the crowd to stop the violence and ordered them to disperse, but the crowd continued throwing stones. They then broke the municipal fence, forcefully entering the municipal office premises and burned the offices and damaged 16 municipal vehicles,” Makhubele said.
Atteridgeville is on🔥,residents 4rm informal settlement Phomolong r always burning infrastructure/ resources when toi-toing.This must stop,they pay 4 nothing but they destroy https://t.co/l3oz9FaS1S SAPS🚁 e sharpa rubber bullet fela mo pheli ka teargas re👍🏽 pic.twitter.com/cKbH3Eb1l1
— C K Phega(Chacha) (@KPhega) May 27, 2019
Seven of the protesters, including two councillors, were arrested for public violence.
Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela condemned the “unruly behaviour” of the protesters.
He urged the community to exercise their rights to protest peacefully and not to damage property.
The arrested suspects were expected to appear in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court soon.
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