South Africa - Squatters and police clash after raid

Squatters and police clash after raid

By Elize Jacobs

Unsuspecting motorists travelling on the R55 were pelted with stones when they were caught up in a battle between Olievenhoutbosch residents and police at the weekend.

More than 20 vehicles, five of them belonging to the SAPS, were damaged on Saturday when residents of the informal settlement attacked police in retaliation for raiding their community on Friday afternoon.

Furious residents attacked police and vented their anger at passing vehicles, throwing stones at them and hitting them with knobkerries.

Nineteen suspects were arrested for public violence.

Police spokesman Captain Piletji Sebola said a number of residents were unhappy about the earlier police operation during which illegal shebeens were closed, fines issued and alcohol confiscated.

When police responded to a call at about 8pm on Saturday they thought it was going to be just "a normal complaint". But when shebeen owners and a large number of residents noticed the police cars, they apparently thought the police had come to raid the area again and responded with violence.

Police officers were pelted with stones and had to call for back-up.

Additional personnel from the Area Crime Combating Unit and the National Intervention Unit were called in and arrived in Casspirs with a helicopter for back-up.

Metro police and personnel at surrounding police stations were also deployed to the area. Using shields and protective gear, they held their ground against the attackers.

Police were shot at from all directions by gunmen in the crowd.

Police returned fire with rubber bullets and stun grenades to contain the situation.

One of the suspects was shot in the arm and taken to a nearby hospital under police guard. Two police inspectors were also injured, one on his finger and the other in the leg. After police opened fire, many of the residents dispersed and ran away, but the police arrested at least 19 of them.

Sebola said it was unclear how many motorists were caught up in the violence. Police believe some injured motorists might have driven themselves to hospitals, clinics or their doctors for treatment.

"It's difficult to say where the injured might have sought treatment, at the height of the violence motorists were not going to stop and wait for emergency services," said Sebola.

He urged motorists who were either injured or had their cars smashed to report it to their nearest police station. "It will assist us with the investigation," he said.

Police maintained their presence in the area throughout Saturday night and yesterday morning to ensure that the situation remained calm.

Sebola said yesterday that the search for the criminal elements behind the violence would continue and they would be brought to book.

"Their criminal actions are condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said. "We have reason to believe that it's only a small criminal element who want to create a bad
relationship between residents and the police."

It is believed that some of the casualties were taken to Kalafong Hospital. Hospital spokesman Catherine Tladi said she would only be able to confirm this today.

The ward councillor for the area, Piet Moselane, rebuked the residents and said if they were unhappy with police procedures they had to use correct channels to complain.

"I am concerned that the wrong people were arrested. There might be real instigators who started the whole thing and who are still roaming the streets," said Moselane.

Local resident Robert Mashete said the worst part was that "the drunkards" took out their frustrations on innocent civilians.

"When the police tried to calm the situation they threw stones at them. This is unacceptable."