Video: Students burn down City Power building

Little did the Record know that the scenes of the Tshepisong protest its journalist was called out to on the evening of 15 October would be reminiscent of the 1976 student riots.

As a mob of between 200 and 300 – mostly students – moved as one beast towards the City Power building in Tshepisong Phase One, it devoured everything that stood in its way. Their biggest gripe, it would appear, was the fact that they could not study for the exams they were in the midst of.

Everywhere fires were either burning or smouldering. The crowd danced on and around a burning car.

Soon members of the crowd started to entice the rest to go to the City Power building and torch it. City Power had to bear the brunt of their wrath since the residents have been without (pre-paid) electricity for eight days. Houses across the road had electricity, which the protesters found strange since the same substation served them.

SAPS and JMPD stayed on the perimeter, only stopping vehicles from entering the danger zone.

The Record then witnessed the torching and looting of the City Power building. At first rocks flew through the air and shattered windows, but then some protesters gained access to the building and started the fires. The rest of the angry mob pulled down the palisade fencing.

Only then a private security company appeared as if from nowhere. As a few shots rang through the air the crowd fled, only to regroup elsewhere. Although live ammunition was fired, it was difficult to determine at whom or what. At that stage teargas was also used.

Once the crowd regrouped it was decided to go to the local councillor’s house not far from there and torch it as well. Somehow the SAPS must have caught wind of this since a Nyala blocked the way to the councillor’s house. Shots were fired again.

The journalist took to his heels as the mob turned their rage to a mortuary and started torching that as well. While the journalist was on the phone with the editor shots whistled past and hit the dust just metres away. Some of the protesters told the Record that the last shots came either from a member of the public or security staff guarding the mortuary. Allegedly a young protester was hit in the hand by one of the random shots.

One of the leaders instructed the crowd to get out of harm’s way and regroup somewhere safe.

As the Record exited the settlement, youths running from the opposite direction gave warning that the Tactical Response Team (TRT) was moving in and a helicopter was seen hovering. It is unclear whether the riot continued through the night but on the morning of 16 October a source reported that the Nyalas have entered the settlement and were chasing after protesters.

The biggest questions at this stage is whether the SAPS was firing live ammunition at the crowd. If not, then what security company do the guards belong to who panicked and also shot at the crowd.

SAPS spokesperson, Vincent Mashiteng, was not available for comment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R63PpW7HKtQ&feature=youtu.be