Protests flare up in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal as house and SAPS vehicles are damaged
- Community members in Copesville, Pietermaritzburg took to the streets in violent protestation over an electrical fault on Thursday night
- A house was allegedly set alight, and cars, including SAPS vehicles, were stoned as tensions in the area boiled over
- Spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal SAPS, Captain Nqobile Gwala, said a case of public violence was being investigated
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Residents of Copesville in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal who were demanding electricity following a fault, allegedly set a house and a car alight on Thursday night.
Members of the community took to the streets to demand that an electrical fault be fixed before the violent scenes erupted, according to TimesLIVE.
Source: Getty Images
The South African Police Service (SAPS) are since investigating a case of public violence. The protest started around 6 pm on Thursday with people stoning cars, according to News24.
He said the electricians had located the fault that the frenzy broke out over and subsequently completing repair work on it only for another fault to occur. Residents did not have electricity since 11 am on Thursday.
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Msunduzi Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson Thobeka Mafumbatha said they responded promptly to the area.
“People were burning tyres, but when the fire department arrived there, they couldn’t pass through as the community blocked them,” Mafumbatha confirmed.
The spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal SAPS, Captain Nqobile Gwala, said a case of public violence was being investigated.
“On 2 September at 7.20 pm, a group of people embarked on protest action, blocking Greytown Road by burning tyres and also throwing stones at police vehicles.
“A house in Copesville caught fire during the protest. A case of public violence was opened at Mountain Rise police station for [further] investigation.”
Bus, truck set alight as protesting MP residents threaten to torch police station
In related news, Briefly News previously reported that residents in several Mpumalanga townships took to the streets and torched a bus and a truck during violent demonstrations over increased tariffs by the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.
According to SABC News, affected areas include the townships of Mhluzi, Rockdale and surrounding areas in Middelburg.
Reports suggested residents were accusing the municipality of implementing the tariffs without consulting them.
Police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli said the protesters attempted to attack the Mhluzi Police Station as tensions boiled over in the area. The demonstrations affected municipal services.
A video that shows a group of protestors casually piggybacking a SAPS van in Rockdale was doing the rounds on social media. It was viewed more than 1 400 times since it was published on Thursday afternoon.
Source: Briefly News
