Police defend rubber bullet use during March and March protest
Mpumalanga police address public concerns following reports of rubber bullet deployment during Ermelo protest incident.
Police confirm minimum force used during Ermelo protest
ERMELO – Mpumalanga police have defended the use of rubber bullets during a protest in Ermelo, stating that minimum force was applied in response to alleged looting and public disorder.
Questions raised following social media footage and reports
Questions were directed to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Jabu Ndubane following reports and visual material circulating on social media suggesting that rubber bullets were fired during the March and March demonstration in Ermelo on June 10.
Police say action taken amid alleged looting attempts
Ndubane said police were forced to act after some individuals allegedly attempted to loot local shops during the protest.
“Police had to apply minimum force and fire rubber bullets at people who were attempting to loot local shops,” she said.
ALSO SEE: GALLERY: March and March protest in Ermelo draws large crowd
Arrests confirmed during protest operations
She confirmed that four suspects were arrested for malicious damage to property, while another suspect was arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
Police defend duty to maintain public order
Ndubane said the actions of police were aimed at maintaining public order and protecting both protesters and members of the public.
“People have the right to protest as long as they are peaceful and unarmed. The police have an obligation to protect the participants and non-participants of such protests,” she said.
Allegations and unverified claims circulate online
The statement comes amid allegations and video material from the scene suggesting that rubber bullets were used during crowd-control operations in the CBD and surrounding streets, including Sluiter and Oosthuizen Street.
Security company ACSU also issued an update during the incident, claiming that SAPS had deployed rubber bullets while managing crowd activity.
Authorities have not commented on separate allegations regarding possible possession of illicit substances reported during the demonstration.
