Calm returns to Hammanskraal after days of bloody protest
Tshwane metro police said this week, the eviction will go ahead. Residents have however, vowed they will fight to the end.
Calm returned to Hammanskraal on Wednesday morning, following two days of bloody protests which left two people dead.
Police spokesperson Constable Herman Moremi said the area remained calm but added the police were keeping an eye on the situation.
Chaos erupted on Monday morning, when trucks carrying Red Ants security officers descended on the area to execute a court order to evict the residents who had illegally built shacks in Kanana, Suurman and an area near Jubilee Mall.
Violence broke out as the residents resisted eviction.
The residents fought back and two Red Ants guards were killed and six other people were injured.
“At the moment, the evictions have been halted. The situation is calm. There were no reports of violence on Wednesday morning,” said Moremi.
“We have arrested five people, and one of them will be charged with murder.”
The residents have vowed there will be more deaths if the government tried to evict them again.
Tshwane metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said the eviction would go ahead.
“They [residents] have illegally occupied someone else’s land,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, roads in the township were still littered with debris which had been used to blockade the road during the protest.
People stood on the side of the road waiting for transport to get to their destinations as life appeared to have returned to normal.
The DA condemned the violence.
“I offer my sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones, and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” said DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Solly Msimanga.
He urged fellow political leaders to join him in renouncing the violence.
“We [DA] cannot tolerate any political rhetoric from radical parties that could incite further violence and an increased loss of life,” said Msimanga.
“We must seek a lasting solution to this housing crisis, which mayor [Kgosientso] Ramokgopa and the ANC are creating.
“At times like this, we need all sectors of the community – political, religious and civil society – to come together and lead our people to a peaceful dialogue aimed at reaching a lasting solution for all parties involved.”
WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO. THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR THE VIEWING OF SENSITIVE VIEWERS.
Here’s the video of the protest including the killing of the man:
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also condemned the usage of Red Ants and the phenomenon of forced removals as a sign of an uncaring, violent and abusive government.
“In a country of high levels of destitution, landlessness and homelessness, it is unacceptable that a democratic government would employ the same tactics of forced removals as an illegitimate regime like apartheid,” said party spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
He said landlessness was a serious problem, especially in Hammanskraal.
“There is such a lack of land that our people reuse graves, burying their loved ones in indignity. To add insult to injury, when the people occupy a piece of land, the government speaks to them in the language of violence,” said Ndlozi.
He said society often blamed the poor when they fought back and resisted the violence of the state.
“If there was indeed any caring leadership in Tshwane, which was sensitive to people’s struggles, it could have found a better way, a humane way, to resolve the problem,” said Ndlozi.
“Where there is leadership, the situation should not have to get to violence. In Tshwane, as in many ANC controlled areas, leadership is reactive.”
He said the EFF fully supported the resistance the community had shown and called on the metro to retreat and allow the people to settle in peace.
“We further call on the city to provide the people of Kanana, Hammanskraal, decent housing and basic services,” said Ndlozi.
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES. THESE IMAGES MIGHT UPSET SENSITIVE READERS
Also read:
Situation remains tense at Hammanskraal eviction protest
Three buses torched during protest
Police confirm death in Hammanskraal eviction
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