Police vehicles set alight
Police vehicles set alight by protesting students in Pretoria Central on Friday.
At least two police vehicles were torched during the student march in Pretoria on Friday.
Alleged students set alight police vehicles – one in Pretorius Street and the other in Leyds Street.
Motorists and commuters were stuck in traffic for hours on Friday when students took to the streets in a protest march to the Union Buildings.
“We were literally stuck in traffic for two hours while we watched police officers chasing some of the protesting students down the streets,” Gontse Mthembu said.
She said it was quite a scary experience to have witnessed such violence taking place in the city centre.
“We were all wondering in the taxi how such violence came about that caused the students to end up burning police vehicles. We understand the students’ frustrations but this kind of behaviour is not acceptable,” Mthembu said.
During the protest, police used teargas, stun-grenades and pepper-spray to disperse students at the Union Building. Students were throwing police with stones during the clashes.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini confirmed that two police vehicles were torched on Friday afternoon.
“We have opened a case of malicious damage to property. No one has been arrested for this,” he said.
Dlamini said a few police officers were slightly injured during the attack.
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