Roodepoort residents are recovering from a bruising standoff with Johannesburg Metro Police.
Residents are seething after Wednesday night’s protest. They say Johannesburg Metro Police used excessive force on protesters from the Princess informal settlement on Johannesburg’s West Rand.
One man says he was hit with the rear end of a rifle‚ before being assaulted by a group of police‚ who later shot at him with rubber bullets at close range.
“I am in a lot of pain. I couldn’t even go to work today‚” said Thabang Moseetsi‚ lying in bed in his small‚ dark shack on the outskirts of the informal settlement.
A deep wound with dry blood was visible on his left arm. He says this was caused by a rubber bullet.
His eye was badly bruised from being hit with the butt of the weapon.
His leg was badly swollen from being kicked and trampled on as he lay on the ground‚ he said.
Naledi Shange
Thabang Moseetsi said his leg was badly swollen from being kicked and trampled on. Photo: Naledi Shange
His foot had numerous red marks‚ caused by more rubber bullets.
“It was so bad‚ they shot right at me last night‚” Moseetsi told TimesLIVE.
“We were protesting for our houses. We were actually burning tyres in the middle of the road when the police came‚” he said.
Residents say they have been protesting for years on end for better services.
“During our protests‚ we have never destroyed any property. We have never set alight the nearby school or the nearby clinic because we know that these things are beneficial to us‚ so we don’t know what we did for the police to use this excessive force‚” one resident said.
Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department said he was unaware of any violent scenes at the informal settlement last night.
“I don’t know about that incident‚” Minnaar told TimesLIVE.
Moseetsi‚ who has been a resident of this informal settlement for around 15 years‚ says they are tired of government’s unfulfilled promises.
One of the community leaders‚ known as Refilwe‚ said that they were excited when they were told that a block of flats a stone’s throw away was meant for them.
A few weeks ago‚ they were informed that the houses were almost ready and the one thing that remained was the electricity connections. They were told community members would start moving in on March 31.
But the latest information the community had was that the houses are not for free.
“We are now being told that these are for rent-to-own‚” Refilwe said.
“We don’t want any more promises from the government. What we want are the keys to those houses‚ electricity or not‚” he said.
The community said it was already used to living without electricity and those who did have power were connected illegally.
Illegal electricity connections are rife in the area. Power lines are strewn on the dusty roads.
“My daughter was five years old when she was shocked by this electricity and died here at this informal settlement‚” said one resident‚ as he stepped across an illegal connection.
On Thursday morning‚ Main Reef Road‚ which runs near the informal settlement‚ was still filthy with the leftover debris of burnt tyres‚ rocks and tree stumps.
The community was again gearing up for further protests.
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