News / Africa
Service delivery protestors burn Zuma T-Shirts
06 Sep 2011 at 12:51hrs | Views
Johannesburg - Residents of Thembelihle, south of Johannesburg, burned ANC t-shirts bearing the face of President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday, a union spokesperson said.
"We have local officers, members and organisers that cover the area and witnessed a number of t-shirts being burned," said Sizwe Dlamini of the Wits Central region of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA.
"No amount of anger or frustration by protesters can justify their counter-revolutionary acts... it is an act of hooliganism and comrade tsotsis."
Police spokesperson Captain Hector Netshivhodza said he was unaware of the incident.
"No, we haven't heard anything. No police members have reported anything of the sort."
He said Gauteng Local Government MEC Humphrey Mmemezi had not yet arrived at the informal settlement near Lenasia.
Mmemezi had planned to speak with community leaders and residents at 13:00, to hear their grievances and the events leading up to confrontations with police.
On Tuesday, the Democratic Alliance called on Mmemezi to intervene in the protests and formulate a plan to improve service delivery in the province.
Provincial DA spokesperson Fred Nel said the violence in protests could indicate that residents had lost patience with the "slow pace of delivery" in disadvantaged areas.
About 500 people protested on Monday, barricading roads with stones and burning tyres.
They damaged cars, traffic lights and electricity meters and trampled on a 15-year-old girl as they fled police.
An 11-year-old boy was reportedly hit in the face by a rubber bullet.
Two occupants of a Toyota Cressida were pelted with stones.
Residents fired live ammunition at police, a school in the area and a councillor's house on Tuesday morning, Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said. Police fired rubber bullets in return.
Eighteen people were appearing in the Lenasia Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for public violence and malicious damage to property.
"We have local officers, members and organisers that cover the area and witnessed a number of t-shirts being burned," said Sizwe Dlamini of the Wits Central region of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA.
"No amount of anger or frustration by protesters can justify their counter-revolutionary acts... it is an act of hooliganism and comrade tsotsis."
Police spokesperson Captain Hector Netshivhodza said he was unaware of the incident.
"No, we haven't heard anything. No police members have reported anything of the sort."
He said Gauteng Local Government MEC Humphrey Mmemezi had not yet arrived at the informal settlement near Lenasia.
Mmemezi had planned to speak with community leaders and residents at 13:00, to hear their grievances and the events leading up to confrontations with police.
Provincial DA spokesperson Fred Nel said the violence in protests could indicate that residents had lost patience with the "slow pace of delivery" in disadvantaged areas.
About 500 people protested on Monday, barricading roads with stones and burning tyres.
They damaged cars, traffic lights and electricity meters and trampled on a 15-year-old girl as they fled police.
An 11-year-old boy was reportedly hit in the face by a rubber bullet.
Two occupants of a Toyota Cressida were pelted with stones.
Residents fired live ammunition at police, a school in the area and a councillor's house on Tuesday morning, Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said. Police fired rubber bullets in return.
Eighteen people were appearing in the Lenasia Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for public violence and malicious damage to property.
Source - Sapa
