The murder of a resident of Princess Informal Settlement sparked a violent protest that led to a house burning down.
It started with the discovery of a body on the corner of South Road and Pannevis Street. Angry residents blamed the residents at 1 Pannevis Street for the murder and pelted the house with rocks. The protesters blocked South Road to attract the attention of the police.Western Suburbs Roodepoort Neighbourhood Watch (WSRNW) was alerted and patrollers closed all the roads leading to the area.
The police were called and according to WSRNW’s Facebook page were swiftly on the scene.
As the violence increased the family at 1 Pannevis Street feared for their lives and fled the house.Once the body was removed it became calm at about 7pm.
At 12pm the neighbourhood watch received a call informing them that the house at 1 Pannevis street as well as the outbuildings had been torched and were going up in flames.The family helplessly stood by as the property that had been used by the family for the past 28 years to run a business from, went up in flames. The protesters also locked the family’s three dogs inside the burning house. Two died while the third one, an old blind Labrador, miraculously escaped.
