Thick smoke billowed into the air. The sound of rubber bullets reverberated and people screamed hysterically as they scattered in different directions. Blood flowed on the tar.
This was the scene - reminiscent of apartheid-era South Africa - in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, on Wednesday when police used rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of protesters who had barricaded both sides of the Golden Highway.
At least four protesters, including three women, sustained serious injuries, bringing to eight the number injured since early Wednesday morning.
‘Volatile’
Waving a large placard reading “10 years of freedom without water, sewerage, electricity - South Africa f*** democracy” and chanting revolutionary slogans, the irate protesters toyi-toyied along the highway, which had been barricaded with large iron sheeting, burning tyres, rocks and tins. A heavy contingent of police officers kept close watch.
The defiant crowd had by then swelled to more than 500. No sooner had the councillor been whisked away, when mayhem again broke out, with police shooting indiscriminately into the crowd.
One woman lay writhing in pain as she bled profusely from a rubber-bullet wound to the back of her head.
Some residents threatened to block the adjacent N1 freeway between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein.
“We will continue to block the road because the local municipality is not serious about addressing our problems. We need water, electricity, houses, and toilets,” said Janet Setshedi, who lives in Ward 4, Orange Farm. - The Star
This was the scene - reminiscent of apartheid-era South Africa - in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, on Wednesday when police used rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of protesters who had barricaded both sides of the Golden Highway.
At least four protesters, including three women, sustained serious injuries, bringing to eight the number injured since early Wednesday morning.
‘Volatile’
Waving a large placard reading “10 years of freedom without water, sewerage, electricity - South Africa f*** democracy” and chanting revolutionary slogans, the irate protesters toyi-toyied along the highway, which had been barricaded with large iron sheeting, burning tyres, rocks and tins. A heavy contingent of police officers kept close watch.
The defiant crowd had by then swelled to more than 500. No sooner had the councillor been whisked away, when mayhem again broke out, with police shooting indiscriminately into the crowd.
One woman lay writhing in pain as she bled profusely from a rubber-bullet wound to the back of her head.
Some residents threatened to block the adjacent N1 freeway between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein.
“We will continue to block the road because the local municipality is not serious about addressing our problems. We need water, electricity, houses, and toilets,” said Janet Setshedi, who lives in Ward 4, Orange Farm. - The Star
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