WATCH: Stones hurled as rubber bullets fly at Glen Marikana

Shots were fired at Glen Marikana Informal Settlement on Dann Road when a metro police raid turned sour on Friday morning.

Initially, members of the EMPD K9 Unit arrived at the settlement to confiscate alcohol from illegally operating taverns.

“We received information about three taverns operating illegally in the informal settlement and when we arrived at the one shack, we found it was full of alcohol,” said Supt Andrè Boone, commander of the EMPD K9 Unit.

“We confiscated the alcohol and we also confiscated a liquor licence from a woman who is running the shebeen with a licence that has been allocated for a premises in Tembisa. She is not allowed to sell alcohol with the licence because it is only valid for the address in Tembisa.”

Inside the one shebeen, three deep freezers were founde loaded with alcohol that was confiscated.

Trouble started when two of the other shebeens were closed and the metro police were denied entry.

The officers went to the locked shacks, broke the locks and entered while being surrounded by Glen Marikana community members who disapproved.

Chief Supt Wilfred Kgasago, spokesperson for the metro police, said the chaos started because the community threw objects at the officers.

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“While they were busy, they were surrounded and attacked with stones and bottles. As a result one of our officers is at Arwyp receiving medical attention as he was hit in the upper body with bricks and a bottle,” said Kgasago.

The metro police then fired shots at the crowd and they dispersed in different directions, running away from the bullets.

When the shooting stopped, the community gathered and expressed their frustration to Express about the shooting and questioned why real ammunition was used.

“We are not against them raiding the taverns and asking for liquor licences because that is their job, but why did they have to shoot and use real ammunition?” questioned Xolani Kobuso, leader at the settlement.

“The other thing is that they didn’t even inform me, as the leader, that they would raid the premises. Secondly, they never produced a search warrant and they broke into one of the shacks using tools. The worst part is that only one or two shots were fired in the air and the rest were aimed straight at the crowd. The warning shots in the air were enough to disperse the crowd. Why did they see a need to direct their shots to the people?”

The community was also up in arms that the shooting took place near a crèche in the settlement.

Tebogo Sethowa, who was missed by two bullets, was left traumatised after the shooting.

“I cook and sell food here and was cooking when the metro police arrived,” Sethowa told Express,

“Some of the officers sat next to the locked shack while others came and went. More officers came with the crowd and then the shooting started. One of the officers pointed their firearm in my direction and two bullets missed me, one of which was so close I decided to hide in a nearby passage.

“I am shaken and don’t know why I was a target when I did nothing wrong, I was scared for my life.”

Sethowa later went with Boone, Kobuso and another female metro officer to the scene where she was almost shot and retold the story to them. Boone also asked Kobuso if anybody was shot or injured as a result of the shooting.

Jeff Ngwenya said he was almost bitten by one of the dogs.

“I tripped and fell while running during the shooting, and when I looked up, I saw a police officer who threatened to release the dog on me. I got up and continued running,” explained Ngwenya.

Paramedics arrived at the scene to attend to Sethowa and an injured metro police officer. The officer was transported to Arwyp and Sethowa was taken to Tembisa Hospital where she was treated for shock and trauma and asked to return on May 14.

The metro police, who were outside the informal settlement, later reverted to firing rubber bullets at residents of the settlement in an effort to contain the volatile situation.

The metro police called in reinforcements and while rubber bullets were being fired, residents inside the settlement threw stones at the officers; also threatening they had live ammunition.

Apparently a metro police officer was bitten by an arrested suspect who was arrested for alleged assault, intimidation and resisting arrest.

The metro police monitored the situation for a while, even when things seemed to have calmed down. Security at Glen Balad Mall closed one of the gates closest to the settlement, on Fried Street, for the rest of the day.

As the metro police moved from the entrance of the settlement, a group of men slowly walked out of Glen Marikana with their hands in the air in silence.

Police presence was not seen throughout the entire morning’s events that transpired at the settlement.