The City of Cape Town on Monday smashed the remaining open toilets in Khayelitsha, sparking a violent confrontation with local residents and ANC Youth League members.
Police fired rubber bullets as residents barricaded streets in the Makhaza area with burning tyres.
Later, Cape Town mayor Dan Plato called on residents to burn tyres in protest against ANCYL "hooligans and thugs".
"I want to throw it back at the community... that you need to tell those rude hooligans, those thugs, that you must march and burn tyres against those hooligans," Plato said at a press conference on Monday.
Plato claimed one of the youth organisation's leaders had been party to the decision to build the open toilets but had since led protests against them.
The drama began shortly before dawn on Monday when city council contract staff, escorted by about 50 heavily armed Metro Police officers, broke down the toilets and loaded the remains on to trucks.
Incensed Makhaza residents responded by barricading the streets with burning tyres and confronted the officers. Rubber bullets were fired and a woman was injured after officers and residents traded blows during one of several stand-offs.
Last week the city council erected prefabricated enclosures around the open toilets, but ANCYL leaders and residents demolished the corrugated iron enclosures, demanding concrete structures.
Monday's confrontation saw racism accusations levelled against the DA-led council. Residents chanted "kill the boer, kill the farmer" as they toyi-toyied and hurled insults at police.
Plato has accused the ANCYL of dishonesty, saying he had minutes of meetings dating back to 2007 which show that the ANCYL leaders had signed agreement to the council's building open toilets.
Tempers calmed when ANC provincial task team leader Membathisi Mdladlana and Human Settlements Deputy Minister Zoe Kota arrived.
After he saw where toilets had been removed, Mdladlana said the ANC supported the ANCYL's campaign for better sanitation.
"Nobody wants these disgusting toilets the DA put in. This is a complete waste of state resources. This is informed by the racist attitude of the DA. If it was not informed by their racist attitude, the DA should have done better," Mdladlana said.
About violent protests and burning barricades, he said: "We will never stop our people from engaging in struggle as long as it is disciplined. The ANC did not say people must burn tyres. I need to know who provoked people to burn tyres. Maybe we should ask Helen Zille and Dan Plato."
Later Mdladlana and Kota appeared shocked when shown discarded concrete toilet enclosures at Zwelitsha.
'In one area people complain there are no proper toilets and in another area toilets are dumped.
I am disgusted by what is happening here,' Mdladlana said.
ANCYL member and Ward 95 Development Forum secretary Andile Lili said Mdladlana would brief President Jacob Zuma.
Zille accused the ANC Youth League of being violent and said she will approach the president.
"But the minister (Mdladlana) will meet the president so he could understand what is happening on the ground. We will not stop. In fact we'll mobilise all the areas to fight the city," Lili said.
Plato said removal of toilets was a temporary measure.
"As soon as appropriate enclosures have been erected, the toilets will be reinstalled."
Plato said there was an agreement with Makhaza residents that the council would install a toilet for each household and residents would enclose them. He said 1 265 out of 1 316 households had enclosed the toilets themselves.
The 51 remained unenclosed, resulting in subsequent infringement of human dignity and escalating conflict in relation to this matter.
Police fired rubber bullets as residents barricaded streets in the Makhaza area with burning tyres.
Later, Cape Town mayor Dan Plato called on residents to burn tyres in protest against ANCYL "hooligans and thugs".
"I want to throw it back at the community... that you need to tell those rude hooligans, those thugs, that you must march and burn tyres against those hooligans," Plato said at a press conference on Monday.
Plato claimed one of the youth organisation's leaders had been party to the decision to build the open toilets but had since led protests against them.
The drama began shortly before dawn on Monday when city council contract staff, escorted by about 50 heavily armed Metro Police officers, broke down the toilets and loaded the remains on to trucks.
Incensed Makhaza residents responded by barricading the streets with burning tyres and confronted the officers. Rubber bullets were fired and a woman was injured after officers and residents traded blows during one of several stand-offs.
Last week the city council erected prefabricated enclosures around the open toilets, but ANCYL leaders and residents demolished the corrugated iron enclosures, demanding concrete structures.
Monday's confrontation saw racism accusations levelled against the DA-led council. Residents chanted "kill the boer, kill the farmer" as they toyi-toyied and hurled insults at police.
Plato has accused the ANCYL of dishonesty, saying he had minutes of meetings dating back to 2007 which show that the ANCYL leaders had signed agreement to the council's building open toilets.
Tempers calmed when ANC provincial task team leader Membathisi Mdladlana and Human Settlements Deputy Minister Zoe Kota arrived.
After he saw where toilets had been removed, Mdladlana said the ANC supported the ANCYL's campaign for better sanitation.
"Nobody wants these disgusting toilets the DA put in. This is a complete waste of state resources. This is informed by the racist attitude of the DA. If it was not informed by their racist attitude, the DA should have done better," Mdladlana said.
About violent protests and burning barricades, he said: "We will never stop our people from engaging in struggle as long as it is disciplined. The ANC did not say people must burn tyres. I need to know who provoked people to burn tyres. Maybe we should ask Helen Zille and Dan Plato."
Later Mdladlana and Kota appeared shocked when shown discarded concrete toilet enclosures at Zwelitsha.
'In one area people complain there are no proper toilets and in another area toilets are dumped.
I am disgusted by what is happening here,' Mdladlana said.
ANCYL member and Ward 95 Development Forum secretary Andile Lili said Mdladlana would brief President Jacob Zuma.
Zille accused the ANC Youth League of being violent and said she will approach the president.
"But the minister (Mdladlana) will meet the president so he could understand what is happening on the ground. We will not stop. In fact we'll mobilise all the areas to fight the city," Lili said.
Plato said removal of toilets was a temporary measure.
"As soon as appropriate enclosures have been erected, the toilets will be reinstalled."
Plato said there was an agreement with Makhaza residents that the council would install a toilet for each household and residents would enclose them. He said 1 265 out of 1 316 households had enclosed the toilets themselves.
The 51 remained unenclosed, resulting in subsequent infringement of human dignity and escalating conflict in relation to this matter.
- Cape Times
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