Thulisile Mapongwana
Residents of the densely-populated Nompumulelo informal settlement in Beacon Bay in East London closed the streets this week with burning tyres, stoning passing cars and targeting nearby businesses.
A car dealership also bore the brunt of Wednesday night’s protest, with vehicles on display pelted with stones and a petrol bomb thrown over the dealership fence but did not ignite.
The General Manger said they would not comment at this time, but said company representatives would attend a meeting with the community on Friday to hear what they had to say.
Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli confirmed the incident:
“Protesters went amok and pelted passing vehicles with stones. During that chaos, it is believed that the dealership was affected. Police managed to diffuse the situation, but at this stage, there are no people who have opened criminal cases,” he said.
Meanwhile, at the meeting, the angry residents said they were tired of being sent from pillar to post by the municipality over the demands for a functional clinic, a primary school, running water, electricity and roads to replace the “mudslides” in the area.
The area is also awash with illegal electrical connections which were blamed for a fire, fueled by gale force winds, that destroyed 50 shacks on 16 September.
Residents also demanded the removal of ward councilor, Nwabisa Mncwabeni, saying he had “failed as a leader”.
Buffalo City spokesperson, Samkelo Ngwenya said they had been meeting with the community leadership and land has been identified to relocate people.
He said the process of putting bulk infrastructure on the land is underway.
“We have also approached the courts to interdict any further protests to protect people and the businesses in the area.”
