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- Zwide residents in the Eastern Cape gathered on a street without following Covid-19 protocols on Sunday.
- When asked to put on the masks and practice social distancing, they reportedly refused.
- The Public Order Police were called in to disperse the crowd.
Eastern Cape police used rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse a group of locals who were breaking lockdown regulations Sunday.
“In an attempt to disperse the crowd that was illegally gathering outside … tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades were used to disperse the crowd that was allegedly turning violent,” said police spokesman Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, to News24.
The crowd gathered in front of a tavern in Zwide, but did not practice social distancing and many of them did not wear their masks.
The police became aware of the meeting after receiving several complaints through their 10111 command center.
Upon arrival, officers asked the group to adhere to Covid-19 protocols or to return home.
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Some of the clients refused and tensions began to flare.
“Members of the Public Order Police were called in to help with crowd management and community members allegedly turned hostile,” Kinana said.
Alleged police brutality
However, some local tavern owners feel that the police were unnecessarily clumsy.
Zuko Gqalane, the owner of Oom Colas Tavern, told News24 that the police did not speak to him before launching their attack. “They just came here and started shooting. Nobody came to know who’s boss, as they usually do.” He said officers didn’t even check if the place was over capacity.
“I think this is police brutality and I want an apology from the police.”
Gqalane added that complying with Covid-19 regulations was at the core of their business practices.
It has employed two gorillas, installed disinfection stations, and provided masks to customers who do not have them.
No arrests were made after the incident.
However, the police are investigating a case of public violence.
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