All quiet after protesters clash with riot police

Calm has been restored to the area surrounding the Kennedy Road informal settlement outside Durban several hours after protesters traded salvos with riot police on Monday.

The volatile uprising forced the closure of the M19‚ as the mob used tyres and portable toilets to erect a burning barricade across the arterial route.

Police responded to reports that passing cars were being stoned‚ and used rubber bullets and teargas to disperse the crowd.

One man was injured by a flurry of rubber bullets and was transported to hospital by ambulance.

eThekwini Metro Police spokesman Sewpersadh Parboo said that officers had managed to clear the roadway and traffic was flowing freely once more.

“The issue at hand appears to be water and electricity‚ and the desire to have these services for free‚” he said.

“Our officers are still at the scene and we anticipate that the crowd may try and disrupt peak hour traffic but we will deal with that accordingly‚” he said.

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