Violence sparked by firework celebrations

TEMPERS continue to flare nearly a week after the annual Diwali festivities, with reports of racial attacks and violence from both pro and anti-firework camps in the Durban North and surrounding communities. Media reports have alleged that a Glen Anil family was attacked with a paintball gun while setting off fireworks at their home on Wednesday, 11 November.

Attacks on Diwali:

Vikram and Shiksha Roopnarain alleged that their neighbour fired at them on the night, despite the presence of their three-year-old son and other family members. The family has reportedly laid a criminal charge against their neighbour.

What’s more the Roopnarains also plan to lay a charge of defamation against members of the Durban North Neighbours Facebook page after their home address was allegedly posted onto the site, along with the addresses of other families who were shooting fireworks.

Reports have also surfaced that members of the social media group advocated the petrol bombing of some of the homes that shot fireworks, while other suggested ringing the families doorbells or flinging eggs at their homes.

For days after Diwali anti-firework residents vented their frustrations on the page. La Lucia resident, Prevan Naidoo, whose address was also shared, is said to have laid a defamation of character lawsuit against members of the site. Naidoo reportedly labeled the actions of the members ‘racist’.

Response from anti-firework residents:

However, Kerry Haylett, a Durban North resident and creator of the page shot back, saying anti-firework members were only outraged by the shooting of fireworks and insisted that their issues were not related to race or religion.

“Fireworks are wrong. No matter which way you look at it. They don’t serve a purpose. All they do is create animosity and strife. They disturb the community and traumatise animals and children. We were all angry and outraged. For months we appealed to the community to be considerate of other residents and not to create a disturbance with the fireworks, instead we experienced one of the worst cases of fireworks in years,” she said.

Rene Coetzee a Mvoti resident echoed Haylett sentiments, saying the anti-firework residents feel helpless during the celebrations. “There is no recourse and some people shooting fireworks often don’t live by the by-laws.

“I saw people still setting off fireworks on Tuesday. They shoot big bangs and when you try to approach them it is bound to escalate into a terrible altercation,” he said.

Coetzee said he found himself in one of these situations three years ago. He said his neighbour’s fireworks were landing and exploding on his roof, carport and vehicles, and even burned a hole in his carport. I approached the neighbour asking him to at least shoot the fireworks in another direction

One of the anti-firework members on the Durban North Neighbours Facebook page reported such an incident on the morning after the Diwali celebrations.
She alleged that their neighbour not only pulled a gun on them when they approached him and his family about the noise, but he also damaged their fence and cursed at them.

Haylett added that the recent events had only fuelled her and the other anti-firework residents’ efforts to have fireworks banned from the city of Durban.
Lt Raymond Deokaran of the Durban North SAPS as well as the Umhlanga Hindu Society declined to comment.

Related articles:

Residents’ plan to ban fireworks

Make Durban North ‘big bang-free’

Durban North resident appeals: No loud bangs