Friday, August 13, 2010

'Don't call me k****r'

An angry home invader held up a poster saying "Don't call me k****r", claiming a senior Metro cop swore at her during a tussle over houses.

The silent protester claims Inspector John Abrahams used the racist word while defusing a violent housing protest between black and coloured residents in Tafelsig.

But Abrahams says the crowd is lying because he wasn't even on duty at the time of the alleged racial slur and found himself the unlikely centre of attention as the dispute over RDP houses moved into its second day on Thursday.

Residents continuously mocked him and swore at him, as heavily armed cops kept a close eye on the situation.

Community worker Nomtha Mtombeni says things got tense when Metro cops used rubber bullets.

"We were peaceful and then they started shooting at us," she says.

A number of Metro police vans were dispatched to the area, including to another part of Tafelsig known as T4, where incomplete homes were invaded on Tuesday evening when Khayelitsha mense moved into the area and wrote their names on the homes' walls.

On Thursday, music personality turned politician D'Louw encouraged the coloured residents to stand firm and not move from the newly built houses.

"We challenge Helen Zille to come today [Thursday] or tomorrow [Friday]," he shouted at the angry crowd.

"Don't send your cronies here."

One woman Gaynor Bugan, 37, told D'Louw that she had been allocated her house after being on the housing list since 1995 and would not let other people take away what was rightfully hers.

But as soon as D'Louw left, a crowd of black residents walked over shouting the homes were free. - Daily Voice

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