Sebokeng protester killed, five arrested for violence

A protester was killed on Wednesday and five others arrested for public violence in Sebokeng, south of Johannesburg, Gauteng police said.

"Five people were arrested for public violence on Wednesday afternoon during the service delivery protests in Sebokeng," Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng said.

"The situation is now calm and police are monitoring the area."

A protester was shot dead and another wounded during demonstrations in the area on Wednesday.

Mofokeng said protesters split into two groups. One group wanted to remove barricades on the road and the other group would not allow it. Several shots were fired between the groups.

"One person was injured and was taken to hospital and the other died upon arrival at hospital."

On Wednesday morning residents blocked roads from Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging with burning tyres, stones and trees.

Emfuleni mayor Greta Hlongwane said in a statement that protests in Sebokeng were not about service delivery.

"The municipality wants to put it on record that the protest has nothing to do with provision of basic services."

She said the unrest was related to a housing development in the area, which was the Gauteng housing department's responsibility.

"It is unfortunate that this matter has now affected the entire community of Sebokeng. We have been engaging with the Boitekong community through a series of meetings where we explained that the provincial housing department is in talks with the owners of the private land where the housing development is supposed to take place," Hlongwane said.