Boy, 4, shot with rubber bullet during protest
Police in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, have opened a case of attempted murder against their own after a 4-year-old boy was struck in the head by a rubber bullet.
According to provincial spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker, the boy was outside his house watching a grader clear rocks from a street where ongoing protests had been happening in the St Chads area.
“A group of community members then became violent and attempted to stop the grader. Public Order Police members were on scene and had to use rubber bullets to disperse the crowd,” Naicker said.
It is believed one of the rounds then struck the child on the head. He was then rushed to a nearby clinic for treatment.
On Tuesday, protesters continued to burn tyres and block the road leading towards Ladysmith.
It is believed the protesters were trying to burn down the bridge by setting tyres alight on the road and even under the bridge, Ladysmith Gazette reported.
As a result, the R103 had to be completely closed off while Road Traffic Inspectorate officers directed traffic away from the protests.
The protest action started over a R1 increase in taxi fares. The Emnambithi/Ladysmith Municipality announced on Tuesday that the planned increase had been suspended until further notice.
– Caxton News Service
Read original story on ladysmithgazette.co.za
