Durban takes a stand against rock attacks

Hundreds of Durban residents joined a motorcade on Saturday in a stand against a spate of rock attacks.

Local community crime-fighting groups eThekwini Secure and Abantu Abahlangene rallied a sizeable crowd to drive from the old Durban drive-in site to a notorious bridge near Tongaat‚ north of the city‚ from which rocks have been hurled at cars.

On Wednesday Metro Police officers arrested two suspected rock throwers on a bridge that runs over the N2 freeway.

The arrests come as the city struggles to combat a wave of incidents‚ even toying with the idea of erecting steel cages around hotspot bridges to protect motorists.

Last month siblings Amina and Abdul Rahim Haffejee were killed when a rock was thrown from a bridge that struck their car on the N2 near Tongaat.

Several other motorists have since survived other attacks.

The most recent was on Wednesday when a rock was thrown at a Mini Cooper on the N3 just before the Tollgate Bridge.

Imtiaz Syed‚ a campaign organiser‚ said about 250 cars were expected to join the motorcade.

"It's a drive to create awareness about the attacks. We believe that the issues of rock placement on the roads and rock throwing are related.

"It seems criminal elements are behind these incidents‚" he said.

The city's metro police force was set to lead the convoy.