Protest fires close Hout Bay roads in third day of unrest

Protesters mass at the traffic circle at the entrance to Hout Bay this morning. Picture Esa Alexander.
Protesters mass at the traffic circle at the entrance to Hout Bay this morning. Picture Esa Alexander.
Protests continued for a third day on Monday in Hout Bay‚ Cape Town‚ forcing traffic officials to close roads in the area.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVEtor3s9N4

City of Cape Town spokesperson Richard Bosman said protesters were burning debris‚ forcing the closure of Victoria Road as well as "the main road at the BP garage".

Protests flared up on Saturday as disgruntled Imizamo Yethu residents‚ who had been moved to a temporary location after a devastating fire three months ago‚ demanded the city speed up the process of moving them back to the area.

City officials said they wanted to ensure fire safety concerns were addressed before allowing residents back into Imizamo Yethu. The fire in March displaced thousands of residents who are frustrated by the delay in rebuilding the area.

Leonie Mollentze‏ summed up the frustration in a tweet.

>https://twitter.com/LeonieMollentze/status/881733137142865920

The road closures irked Iain S Thomas‏ who tweeted‚ “My one-year-old old daughter needs to get to a doctor and we're locked in by protestors in Hout Bay for a third day @CityofCT @PatriciaDeLille”

>https://twitter.com/IWroteThisForU/status/881735928678465536

Bus services were suspended and roads closed during protests on Sunday.

Source: Tiso Black Star Group Digital.


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