A Police officer is seen near a burning foreign owned shop in the Pretoria CBD during a protest against foreigners. Photo: Jacques Nelles
Protests have once again erupted in the Pretoria CBD, with reports streaming in of protesters looting foreign-owned shops. Several taxis are also said to be blocking roads in the CBD, as taxi drivers continue protesting after one was shot dead on Tuesday.
A video filmed by News24 shows police officers allegedly shooting at a man with rubber bullets, who falls to the ground and drops a box of what looks like a TV. The man struggles to get up as he seems to have been shot in the leg.
Another police officer is seen confiscating a TV, but it is unclear who he took it from.
Police are said to be outnumbered as crowds of protesters burn shops.
REZA also reported on Twitter that protesters are denying emergency services access to a fire in Brown Street.
Photo: Jacques Nelles
Photo: Jacques Nelles
This as motorists were met with a chaotic scene on Tuesday.
IOL reports that two A Re Yeng buses, three Tshwane Bus Service buses and Gautrain buses were hijacked by enraged taxi drivers to block roads and resist drugs in the region.
Motorists were essentially trapped in the streets of the CBD, resorting to illegal U-turns and driving through one-ways until police removed the buses and cleared the road.
According to Sowetan, taxi operators found people, believed to be police officers, were allegedly involved in the selling of drugs on Tuesday.
Taxi drivers in Pretoria have clashed with drug dealers on numerous occasions in the past. It is reported that drivers in the area confronted known drug affiliates in the city, an advance that was rejected by dealers and buyers.
A shootout reportedly ensued and a taxi driver was killed, prompting Tuesday’s traffic chaos.
Police condemned the shooting, as well as the actions of the taxi drivers.
Protests recently erupted in the Pretoria CBD as an unauthorised bus strike plagued the city for days, with the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) blocking the CBD with municipal trucks and buses. The strike was a result of the City of Tshwane’s decisions to upgrade salaries of top executives by 18%, dating back to 2017, in which lower-level employees were left out.
Residents and motorists have been urged to avoid the area. Parts of the CBD are considered a no-go zone and a heavy police presence had been deployed in the affected areas.
Police officer returning a TV that was looted from an electronics store. Photo: Jacques Nelles
Tshwane transport MMC Sheila Senkubuge apologised for the inconvenience caused by the disruptions to public transport within the CBD, and urged commuters to avoid the CBD and take alternative routes and modes of transport.
Additional reporting by Gcina Ntsabula and News24 Wire
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