E Cape protests under control

190312. Service delivery protest where the residents of Ratanda Township bolcked the R549 road to the township and burning tyres. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko

190312. Service delivery protest where the residents of Ratanda Township bolcked the R549 road to the township and burning tyres. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko

Published Oct 18, 2013

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Port Elizabeth - Service delivery protests in Missionvale, Port Elizabeth, and Cookhouse, near Cradock, were under control on Friday afternoon, Eastern Cape police said.

“Earlier this morning (residents) were throwing stones at police,” said Warrant Officer Alwin Labans said.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse them.

“The situation is under control,” he said around 3pm.

They burnt tyres and blocked roads to express their dissatisfaction with the rate of housing delivery and other services.

No one had been arrested, Labans said.

In a separate protest, residents of Cookhouse set a municipal building alight on Thursday around 9pm, said Captain Stefanie Smith.

“About... 600 dissatisfied community members took to the streets and started stoning the municipality building to express their alleged dissatisfaction (with municipal services).”

The protesters later set the building alight, set fire to a tractor tyre under a railway bridge on the R63, which disrupted traffic, and stoned a police car.

“Today everything is under control. Local police are monitoring the situation,” Smith said.

A case of public violence was being investigated, but no one had been arrested.

Sapa

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