Women take a stand
Women protesters on Thursday warned they would take of their clothes if police shoot at them with rubber bullets
Women threatened to take off their clothes, bend and point their bums at the police if they use excessive force against them.
These women, including grannies, are hawkers who were protesting in front of Isivuno House, the Tshwane metro municipal offices, in the city centre on Thursday.
The three-day protest was in its third and last day and most of the men were nowhere to be seen after the metro police fired on protesters with rubber bullets a day earlier.
The women made the threats after the Public Order Police Unit, geared up with pump action and riot control guns, loaded with rubber bullets and tear gas, ordered the protesters to move off the road.
The group protesting on the street caused a major traffic disruption.
Although the furious women were well aware of what would happen if they disobeyed police orders, they refused to stand down and told the police to shoot. While the arguments between the groups raged, some of the women made their intentions clear by removing some of their clothes.
One of the protesters was heard saying: “We are responsible parents who make a honest living through trading in the community.”
The woman simply meant they were not prostitutes.
Another one said: “Let us take of our clothes now and stand naked, the metro has already destroyed our dignity.”.
Some people known as ‘nyaope smokers’ were more than willing to join the fray .
Known as the ‘nyaope boys’ they use such chaotic situations to loot from businesses.
During Wednesday’s protest they damaged a number of businesses, including in the city.
During the protest all business in the area closed their doors to protect their properties.
TBF deputy secretary, Marry Ngema, said in defence that it was not the informal traders who damaged the businesses but the nyaope boys and it was the police’s responsibility to fight that type of crime.
“We are not here to damage property, we are here to raise our concerns. We want the mayor to address us,” Ngema said.
The vendors demanded the Tshwane metro police to stop confiscating their stock and trading licenses.
They also demanded that the mayor, Kgosietso Ramogkopa, the MMC for community safety, Terence Mashego, and the metro police director, Jenny Malan, resign.
