A female metro police officer was pulled from her official car and attacked, and her armed colleagues were forced to retreat as upset Khayelitsha residents confronted the council's Anti Land Invasion Unit about its demolition of places of worship in the township.
Church leaders had to step in to restore calm when the confrontation erupted shortly after a busload of visiting ANC MPs left Khayelitsha.
The leaders intervened to protect the officer and escorted her back to her vehicle. She and her colleagues left the area immediately.
The MPs' visit had been in response to complaints from the churches about the demolitions. Clergymen showed MPs several places of worship, including a mosque, that had been flattened.
"City officials swore and treated us like dogs as they broke down the place. We'll ask the MJC (Muslim Judicial Council) to help. We've been here for five years helping the poor," said Abdullah Muligite, imam of the Bilal Mosque in Khayelitsha.
Senior member of the Western Cape Christian Ministers' Forum Derrick Mtsolo said about 100 structures had been demolished since November, leaving thousands of people without anywhere to worship.
"We had an agreement with then mayor Helen Zille, and the same with mayor Dan Plato, who said no more structures would be demolished. But every day our townships are targeted. Over 40 churches have been demolished in recent weeks," Mtsolo said.
Standing at the site where the Revival Mission Centre in Kuyasa had been torn down, ANC MP and leader of yesterday's parliamentarian group, Nthabiseng Khunou, said: "The impression I get is that this is really barbaric. It is unGodly, because you cannot destroy places of worship. I think it is despicable."
Clerics were asked to formulate a report, but the MPs wanted to gather first-hand information about the demolitions, she said.
"Some churches have been here since 2004. If it means involving the Human Rights Commission, we'll do that. We'll ensure a report goes to a relevant body. We take this seriously as MPs," she said.
"This is a modified form of ethnic cleansing," said forum chairman Xola Skosana. We are not anti by-laws and anti good citizenry, but don't have by-laws if you did not provide land first."
Cape Town mayor Plato rejected claims that "old" churches had been demolished.
"It's only the new ones. We have proof that when we break down, we find that the next day they are up again. We cannot allow any entity, even a church, to unilaterally move on to land to set up a structure as if they own the land. No government can allow that."
Plato said the council acted wherever land was occupied illegally or when by-laws were contravened.
"It is a case of people taking chances. I've got to send a clear message that if people continue to act illegally, we'll continue to act against them," he said.
Responding to allegations of racism, Plato said: "I reject such a claim. A media report of a building construction being stopped in Rondebosch - that was a white entity.
"There are examples, like Bantry Bay and Clifton, where we acted.
"In Parow, we acted when the Plattekloof mosque was built without a plan. Action is across the board, not only against blacks. I don't want to get into a race debate," Plato said.
Zille said the forum had approached her about access to land for churches. Their requests fell into various categories, she said.
"Some apparently had undertakings from before, and others wanted new land.
"Access to state land is an issue that requires very careful procedures, and competitive tender processes. It is governed by various laws. I undertook to do an investigation into establishing the need for church sites, the extent of the land potentially available, how to allocate available land, and what laws must be followed."
Plato would get an update on the process on Friday, and she expect to hear from him, Zille said.
Church leaders had to step in to restore calm when the confrontation erupted shortly after a busload of visiting ANC MPs left Khayelitsha.
The leaders intervened to protect the officer and escorted her back to her vehicle. She and her colleagues left the area immediately.
The MPs' visit had been in response to complaints from the churches about the demolitions. Clergymen showed MPs several places of worship, including a mosque, that had been flattened.
"City officials swore and treated us like dogs as they broke down the place. We'll ask the MJC (Muslim Judicial Council) to help. We've been here for five years helping the poor," said Abdullah Muligite, imam of the Bilal Mosque in Khayelitsha.
Senior member of the Western Cape Christian Ministers' Forum Derrick Mtsolo said about 100 structures had been demolished since November, leaving thousands of people without anywhere to worship.
"We had an agreement with then mayor Helen Zille, and the same with mayor Dan Plato, who said no more structures would be demolished. But every day our townships are targeted. Over 40 churches have been demolished in recent weeks," Mtsolo said.
Standing at the site where the Revival Mission Centre in Kuyasa had been torn down, ANC MP and leader of yesterday's parliamentarian group, Nthabiseng Khunou, said: "The impression I get is that this is really barbaric. It is unGodly, because you cannot destroy places of worship. I think it is despicable."
Clerics were asked to formulate a report, but the MPs wanted to gather first-hand information about the demolitions, she said.
"Some churches have been here since 2004. If it means involving the Human Rights Commission, we'll do that. We'll ensure a report goes to a relevant body. We take this seriously as MPs," she said.
"This is a modified form of ethnic cleansing," said forum chairman Xola Skosana. We are not anti by-laws and anti good citizenry, but don't have by-laws if you did not provide land first."
Cape Town mayor Plato rejected claims that "old" churches had been demolished.
"It's only the new ones. We have proof that when we break down, we find that the next day they are up again. We cannot allow any entity, even a church, to unilaterally move on to land to set up a structure as if they own the land. No government can allow that."
Plato said the council acted wherever land was occupied illegally or when by-laws were contravened.
"It is a case of people taking chances. I've got to send a clear message that if people continue to act illegally, we'll continue to act against them," he said.
Responding to allegations of racism, Plato said: "I reject such a claim. A media report of a building construction being stopped in Rondebosch - that was a white entity.
"There are examples, like Bantry Bay and Clifton, where we acted.
"In Parow, we acted when the Plattekloof mosque was built without a plan. Action is across the board, not only against blacks. I don't want to get into a race debate," Plato said.
Zille said the forum had approached her about access to land for churches. Their requests fell into various categories, she said.
"Some apparently had undertakings from before, and others wanted new land.
"Access to state land is an issue that requires very careful procedures, and competitive tender processes. It is governed by various laws. I undertook to do an investigation into establishing the need for church sites, the extent of the land potentially available, how to allocate available land, and what laws must be followed."
Plato would get an update on the process on Friday, and she expect to hear from him, Zille said.
- Cape Times
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