Cape Town – Tear gas and stun grenades were used by the police to disperse protesters of the Gatvol Capetonians total shutdown movement in Kensington on Thursday morning.
The shutdown movement said they would continue to highlight the plight of those living in backyards and for access to land and housing, warning that this was "just a taste of things that's going to happen" if the authorities don't meet their demands. They had promised to barricade major roads and intersections across the Cape Town metro from 5am to 11am.
The Stellenbosch Arterial had to be closed to traffic in both directions between Adam Tas and the Delft main roads at the R300. Cape Town Traffic spokesperson Richard Coleman said protesters were burning tyres in the roadway.
Protesters supporting the movement have barricaded sections of various roads across the Cape Metro, including Voortrekker Road near Jakes Gerwel and 5th Avenue; Prince George Drive at the M5 at Parkwood, where the situation is under control with pockets of burning tyres and reports of isolated incident of stone-throwing; Wale Street leading to the Bo-Kaap, where there is a heavy police presence; Ocean View in Fish Hoek is closed off; the M5 near Dick Burton Road; the main road in Belhar near the KFC; and Kommetjie Road at Milky Way is blocked, where there have been reports of vandalism.
There have been no reports of physical violence against commuters or law enforcement. In Parkwood, protesters briefly tried to stop drivers from using the M5 but they were swiftly dealt with by the authorities.
Police use teargas, stun grenades to disperse protesters. Video: Courtney Africa/African News Agency (ANA).
Oscar Samuels, spokesperson for the movement, told the SABC on Thursday morning this "was just a taste of things that's going to happen" and that they would hand over a memorandum to the City and Western Cape government later today.
“We will rally and make sure that the rest of South Africa, the rest of the Western Cape, will come out with us next time. We will stand together.
"This morning was just a taste of things that's going to happen. After handing over our memorandum this afternoon, we will give the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government 21 days to respond to our memorandum.”