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Cape Town City law enforcement officers fired at land occupiers protesting against the demolition of their huts at Empolweni in Khayelitsha on Sunday, GroundUp reported.
About 60 protesters sang fight songs in front of officials.
GroundUp journalist Vincent Lali was on the scene and said there was no provocation when law enforcement officers began shooting.
Lali said he was there for several hours on Sunday and at no time did he see anyone throw a stone or use any form of violence against officials.
The conflict between the city and the land occupiers escalated this week. On Thursday, the city demolished dozens of shacks. On Saturday and Sunday there were more conflicts.
According to housing activists, there is a moratorium on evictions during the shutdown, but the City argues that this does not apply to illegal land occupations and that the shacks they demolished were unoccupied.
The officers used rubber bullets.
But Coalition for Social Justice (SJC) activist Bonga Zamisa, who collected rubber bullets at the scene later so she could file a complaint against law enforcement officials, also found a live bullet.
Zamisa said: “I was surprised to find live ammunition because I thought officials were using rubber bullets only to disperse residents.”
Axolile Notywala, head of the SJC, said the use of live ammunition to disperse protesters “must be very worrying for everyone.”
“I also saw one of the law enforcement officers pull out his gun and quickly put it back when he realized he was filming,” Notywala said.
Live bullets are not used
But Mayco city security member JP Smith denied that live bullets were used. A photo of the round was sent to him.
“We have no weapons to fire those rounds. [It was] either a plant or downloaded by SAPS *. No one would use live ammunition, except protesters, as our officers are shot quite often these days with live ammunition. “
Smith said the round appeared to have been fired from an R4 or R5 weapon, generally used by SAPS or the military. “We have no R4 or R5 weapons.”
“Our vehicles were damaged. The officers were heavily attacked, not caring. Public property was destroyed. Officers use force to stop the destruction of public property.”
He sent GroundUp photos of damaged police vehicles.
All officials wore masks but did not carry name tags.
Lali witnessed how members of the SJC and Khayelitsha Community Network ask officials to identify themselves, issue a court order, and name the authorities who ordered them to demolish the shacks. Officials pushed them aside and refused to respond.
Bahia Sterris, acting provincial manager of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), witnessed Sunday’s events while interviewing residents and community leaders.
“The residents were not violent and did not attack them. They were just singing and cheering. The police shot without warning the crowd,” he said.
Sterris said officials were swearing in as they were chasing the cabin dwellers. “Law enforcement is out of control. We had to run for our dear lives.”
Lali saw her try unsuccessfully to ask an official to identify herself.
Scattered protesters
A frustrated Sterris said: “Even the official who appeared to be in charge refused to identify himself to the [SAHRC].
“It is a criminal offense to refuse to help or hinder the commission,” he said.
Officials dispersed protesters and dragged about three to a waiting van next to Baden Powell Drive.
Officials destroyed around seven fully rebuilt shacks and a few others that the shack dwellers were still rebuilding.
A woman, Thandiwe Cebisa, said authorities wounded her while destroying her shack on Saturday. “When they told me to leave my shack, I asked them where they expected me to go,” he said.
Cebisa said officials tried to remove her from her hut and she resisted before they decided to knock her down while she was still inside.
“The roof hit me in the pelvis when it fell and now my pelvis hurts,” he said.
Sterris visited and interviewed Cebisa at a community church on Sunday. “We are investigating human rights violations,” he said.
SAHRC Commissioner Chris Nissen said SAHRC was also investigating the legality of the arrest of community leaders on Saturday.
SAHRC also launched an investigation into the demolition of the old backyarder shacks, he said.
“We are investigating how long they have been here and what legal processes were followed [before their shacks were demolished]”
* News24 contacted SAPS spokesman Brigadier General Novela Potelwa about Smith’s comment that police possibly used live rounds against protesters.
“As a law enforcement agency with investigative powers, we refrain from commenting (especially to the media) on an issue that is not supported by facts. SAPS’s use of live ammunition is not permitted,” said Potelwa .
“There are prescriptions in SAPS that support that and SAPS members know that. To answer the question: Someone must prove with facts (affidavit to support the claim) that SAPS members used live ammunition in this case. We, like SAPS management, will immediately initiate an investigation and deal decisively with such improper conduct. “
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