Cape Town – Police came under attack in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, when irate residents wanted to take the law into their own hands after the release of an alleged child rapist.
Residents were outraged when they heard that the man had been released back to the community and stayed in the same house as the child. He had to be kept in police custody for his own safety after residents wanted him to be handed over to them.
The area came to a standstill, with police using rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
A 5-year-old child and a 15-year-old were injured and police vehicles were damaged. Protesters burnt tyres, placed objects and blocked entrances to roads in the area. Six people aged between 17 to 28 were arrested for public violence.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the child was still dealing with the trauma of being raped by her uncle last year. The resident said it came to light that the child was raped again by another uncle when her behaviour changed.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said Mitchells Plain police attended to a complaint at a house where about 30 community members were armed with sticks and bricks and wanted to burn down the house of the alleged rapist.
“They demanded that the suspect be handed over to them. They threw stones at the police and back-up had to be called.
"Police extracted the suspect from the house and took him into custody for detention at the police station. A 5-year-old boy sustained a flesh wound to his head and a 15-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to a leg.
“The injured persons received medical treatment,” Traut said.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesperson Moses Dlamini said: “We have received a complaint of the discharge of police firearms in relation to the shooting of a 15-year-old.
"The victim was allegedly shot with a rubber bullet. Our investigators attended the scene and investigations are under way.”