Three people were arrested in Khayelitsha's YAB informal settlement yesterday as violent protests, ostensibly over the city's intention to supply portable flush toilets to the residents of the informal settlement, entered their second week.
After flaring up on Sunday last week, protesters took matters a step further yesterday by digging a trench across Pama Road.
They were dispersed by police, who fired rubber bullets at them.
Last week's protest began after a community leaders received an email from the City of Cape Town stating the city's intention to deliver portable flush toilets to the area.
The same kind of toilets were the source of the faeces protests which saw informal settlement residents emptying raw sewage on the steps of public buildings and at the Cape Town International Airport last month.
However, YAB settlement residents are now demanding that they be moved to a better area, with basic services - including sanitation - being provided for them.
Yesterday, residents rose early, about 3am, to begin digging up Pama Road. They said if they accepted the portable flush toilets (PFT), the city of Cape Town could never relocate them.
Richard Bosman, the city's executive director for safety and security, said residents had been protesting in the area for the past four days, but that they were managing the situation with SAPS.
Protests have also been flaring up late at night, he added.
"The protests are specifically in the Pama Road area and we have deployed additional law enforcement staff to manage disruptions and assist police"
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