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- Police threw stun grenades at a group of women and children, as well as a mass demonstration of cyclists near Parliament in Cape Town on Saturday.
- The women and children had been picketing to end gender-based violence, while motorcyclists gathered in their own demonstration to highlight the murders on farms.
- Police arrested 18 people on charges including public violence and one of attempted murder.
Eighteen people were arrested when police cracked down as motorcyclists, anti-gender violence (GBV) protesters and others gathered at around the same time for a march near Parliament on Saturday.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said that a group of around 500 cyclists and 400 people with placards reportedly participated in a gender-based violence and femicide protest.
They reportedly blocked roads and damaged vehicles in the vicinity of Roeland and Buitenkant streets.
“The members took steps to disperse the crowd,” he added.
The 18 will appear in Cape Town Magistrates Court on Monday as police investigate cases of public violence, intentional damage to property, violations related to the Disaster Management Act and an assassination attempt.
One witness, Pearlie Joubert, who accompanied a group of children to the protest against gender-based violence, said she was surprised by the sudden turn of events on an otherwise peaceful day, where people also enjoyed the view of hundreds of motorcycles starting their engines.
She added that she was with a group of children who carried posters against gender violence with slogans such as: “Stop violence, no more silence” while a parade of cyclists passed by, saluting and showing solidarity.
Stun grenades were suddenly heard and people began to scatter as green smoke was also released.
“There was no provocation,” said Joubert, who had accompanied her children and a friend to the picket line.
He said the confrontation appeared to start near the Book Lounge at the corner of Buitenkant and Roeland streets.
Roeland Street leading to Parliament was closed, and at the corner, where the Book Hall is located, a couple of cyclists had tried to turn right into Parliament.
“I just saw a flash,” he said.
“I was so stunned. Usually you can see that something is going to happen.”
Joubert recalls that six stun grenades went off, and he rounded up the children and calmed them on the way.
The children were fine afterwards, but she said she couldn’t understand what triggered the police.
He added that motorcyclists had been waving to them as they drove by, one with a Black Lives Matter badge on his jacket, another with a sign on his bike that read “Freedom in Jesus.”
More video footage sent to News24 shows the stun grenades exploding and later people are shoved into a police truck.
Attorney General Lindy Wilson said she had gone to receive the request from the cyclists.
When he approached the place where he expected to meet them outside Parliament, the police told him that he was cordoned off and ordered him to leave.
“I said that I am a deputy and I am here to accept [the petition]”Said Wilson.
Hundreds of cyclists were arriving and they were not allowed to enter the area.
“It was peaceful,” he added.
However, things suddenly changed.
He understands that some of the motorcyclists tried to enter the cordoned off area and an altercation with the police broke out as they tried to reach Parliament. The groups began to support each other as the police tried to prevent the cyclists from going to Parliament.
Disaster Management Act regulations currently do not allow gatherings of 50 people or more, which was confirmed by the city of Cape Town last week in an unrelated story. It is not yet clear whether the motorcyclists had obtained a permit.
Ron Darby, president of the Western Cape Motorcycle Association, said they had planned to circle through parts of the CBD to raise concern about the high crime rate in the country, which affects everyone.
Due to the rain, there were fewer cyclists than expected, but they had planned to drive down Plein, Roeland, Buitenkant and Darling streets, stop for a moment of silence for the crime victims, and then disperse.
However, the roads were cordoned off, causing problems on the planned route and they encountered a blockage.
Darby said this made it difficult for motorcyclists trying to turn around, adding that the ride seemed to be well received by all who looked, but things went wrong when a police officer pulled a person off his motorcycle.
“I think some police officers may have been scared and may have overreacted.”
Meanwhile, David Kolm of Bikers Against Bullies told News24 that his own massive trip to Union Buildings was the opposite, with cyclists coming from the Free State and remote cities to join in, with police and Outsurance points helping the flow of the traffic during your convoy. .
He said the rally was to express concern for the safety of farmers, regardless of their race.
“How many more farmers do you have to kill?” I ask. “It doesn’t matter what color their skin is. They are the people who put food on our table.”
They placed roses and flower crowns and, according to images shared on social networks, they also left white crosses.
