De Lille condemns violence as protest action in Hout Bay enters day three

Protest action flared up again in Hout Bay, Western Cape, on Monday, and Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille was prevented from entering the area.

The SA Police Service (SAPS) on Monday stated that Monday marked the third consecutive day in which the housing dispute had flared up and that access routes to and from the area were affected.

Reports state the protest action was sparked at the weekend as the Imizamo Yethu residents who lost their homes in a massive fire in March this year complained that the City of Cape Town was taking too long to rebuild the homes they were allegedly promised.

ALSO READ: 650 homes destroyed in Hout Bay blaze

In the meantime, reports stated the people had been moved to a local sports field, but on Saturday, they started angry protest action, which continued on Sunday and then again on Monday.

De Lille tweeted on Monday morning that she was trying to gain access into Hout Bay, but was prevented from doing so by the community.

She further tweeted that the police general she had spoken to had confirmed they were sending “additional reinforcements”. De Lille added they condemned the violence and that the leaders of the community have been asked to meet with them in a bid to discuss solutions.

In a statement, the SAPS said they had deployed a sufficient number of members from Public Order Policing, the Stabilisation Unit and Visible Policing in a bid to monitor the situation.

“We are working closely with our law enforcement agencies to quell the situation and to restore tranquility to the area,” read the statement.

“Our deployments will remain in the area until we are satisfied that the threat to the area has been alleviated. We urge the community to exercise caution in the close proximity of the group of protesters, who are estimated at 100 at this time.”

According to a report by News24, some vehicles had been overturned while temporary food trucks were destroyed in the third day of the Hout Bay protests, leading the City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety JP Smith to state that the protesters’ actions was “criminal” and had asked police to film the public violence in a bid to prosecute those individuals, according to a report by the African News Agency.

“Their behaviour is simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated in a democratic dispensation.”

“The situation in Hout Bay has become very serious, and it is clear it’s no longer a matter of community protest, but has now entered the realm of sheer criminality. Rioters have moved into side streets … and smashed cars and windows. An attack on the Kronendal Old Age Home was narrowly averted,” said Smith.

“The City’s law enforcement and disaster management mobile units, which were used as kitchens for the victims of the fire on the sports field, have been completely destroyed.”

– Additional reporting by the African News Agency

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