Cape Town - Residents of Tafelsig in Mitchells Plain turned on the police in a violent protest after charges against a man accused of killing his mother, 61-year-old mother Gafsa Roberts, and dumping her body in a rubbish bin, were withdrawn.
Shakur Roberts, 21, was arrested on Monday after a neighbour made the gruesome discovery.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said charges against Roberts were provisionally withdrawn on Wednesday pending further investigation, but could be reinstated later.
About 50 angry residents, who wanted him to admit he had killed his mother, went to his house.
He was not home at the time, but someone saw him later, Tafelsig resident Martin Knowles said on Thursday.
“We chased him. When we caught him, we brought him to the house and tried to make him confess to the murder,” Knowles said.
The crowd swelled to about 500 and when police arrived to escort Roberts, residents hurled stones at the police.
Police spokesman FC van Wyk said police vehicles were damaged and cases of malicious damage to property and public violence were opened.
Residents lined Winterhoek Street with torched tyres and fuelled the blaze with rubble. They petrol-bombed police, who retaliated with water canons, rubber bullets and stun grenades. The protest lasted until about 11pm.
The house where Roberts and his mother lived stood empty on Thursday.
Abie Isaacs, Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum chairman, said it was unfair that the community had turned on police, who were merely doing their duty.
“We need this community, and South Africa as a whole to respect police and the judiciary. The anger vented at police is uncalled for,” Isaacs said.
“All police can do is arrest someone. It is up to the courts to prosecute people. People know the saying ‘innocent until proven guilty’.
“Taking the law into your own hands makes you a criminal too.”
Cape Times