Police fire on 350 protestors blocking R72 coastal road
A Kenton-on-Sea service delivery protest turned ugly yesterday when police fired stun grenades, smoke cannisters and birdshot at more than 350 Ekuphumleni residents after they blocked the busy R72 with burning tyres and refused to move.
The road was closed to traffic for hours as public order police (Pop) from East London fought sporadic battles with stone throwing residents who returned to the busy intersection three times despite being shot at and dispersed back into the township.
Passing vehicles were pelted after the first early morning skirmish when police allowed them to pass the burning barricades at the Ekuphumleni/Kenton-on-Sea crossroads and angry residents threw stones at them from the roadside near the township.
Organisers Tuli Memani and Steven Mzamo Marwaniqane later handed a long list of grievances to human settlements regional head William Perks after he was ordered to the resort town from Port Elizabeth by MEC Helen Sauls-August when protestors earlier refused to give it to Ndlambe municipal manager Rolly Dumezweni.
Memani warned Perks the department must urgently address their grievances or face increased roadside protests.
“We expect a prompt response within four working days failing which we will gladly escalate this to another level.”
She said if residents did not get concrete answers by Friday they would return to the crossroads where police would have to kill them if they wanted them to move.
Problems on a list of grievances handed to Perks called for more land to be set aside for housing, cattle grazing and business development, improved sewer infrastructure, tarred roads, the development of a sports ground and youth skill centre.
They also claimed there was no local economic development and that tender fraud was rife in the area.
According to Memani, development was taking place in townships around Port Alfred, Alexandria, Bathurst, nearby Bushmans River and other small towns in Ndlambe but it was not happening in Ekuphumleni.
She said people felt they were being ignored because they had voted for independent councillor Zache Nxingo and not the ruling ANC.
Municipal spokesman Khulukile Mbolekwa denied the allegations saying a major housing project would start soon.
He admitted funds earmarked for Ekuphumleni had been transferred to nearby Marselle, but said this was done so they could finish projects there before moving onto Kenton-on-Sea.
Warned before the first skirmish by Pops Captain Michael Adams to peacefully disperse or face the risk of getting hurt a defiant Nxingo told the crowd to stand firm.
“Don’t be afraid, some of us may (have to) be sacrificed. The government kills unarmed people.”
After the first skirmish, Nxingo said police were “proud to kill but not proud to heal”.
Although some protestors burnt ANC T-shirts bearing President Jacob Zuma’s face, organisers urged the crowd not to take sides politically.
Residents in ANC, DA, EFF and Nxingo T-shirts helped each other collect stones to pelt the police.
Accepting the list of grievances, Perks said he had been ordered by MEC Sauls-August to come and deal with the problem.
He vowed to speed up plans to build 564 houses in the township.
“Hopefully I will come back on Friday with better news.”
The crowd then dispersed peacefully. —