Wrecked CT: Clean-up starts
2006-05-16 16:09
Donwald Pressley
Cape Town - The clean-up of the central district has begun after a march on parliament by thousands of supporters of the security-industry strike went seriously wrong.
While reports are flowing in that much of the antique and coffee shop district of nearby Church Street was smashed and looted, the area around parliament resembles a battleground.
Right across from parliament at Gino's takeaway bar, Tanesh Parhoo was cleaning up after three windows at the front of his shop were smashed by marchers earlier on Tuesday - on their way to the Louis Botha statue outside the main entrance to parliament.
"They stole a bag and a rubber stamp," he said, pointing to glass damage that will cost thousands of rands to repair.
Thousands of mostly young, male marchers joined the demonstration in favour of the Satawu demand for a 11% pay hike in the security industry.
It was clear that a large proportion of the marchers were not members of Satawu or of Cosatu, the umbrella trade union federation.
Entire jewellery display was looted
Just up the road in Plein Street - virtually opposite the vehicle entrance to the parking garage where members of parliament park, Amanda Lan said virtually her entire jewellery display at her shop, Primal Needs, was looted after the shop window had been smashed.
Lan said she rushed out before the incident to park her car elsewhere, sensing that vehicles would be damaged.
Her colleague, Sarah Snyders, said she was terrified and pressed the emergency button and fled out the back door when the window smashing took place.
Lan said she imagined that damage totalling at least R10 000 had been done by smashing the windows alone.
Outside in the street at least five cars were smashed and another three in neighbouring Spin Street were vandalised.
Car windows smashed
One cafe owner, Bill Herbert, said that while he did not think that any food had been stolen, two shop window panels were smashed. Outside, his Nissan bakkie's front windows had been walloped by a striker.
Just next to his bakkie was a Volkswagen Golf owned by Ukhetsha armed response.
Every single window was broken in the mayhem that broke out on Tuesday morning - which apparently started about 11:30 and lasted for about 45 minutes.
Herbert said a review of the right to march should be considered.
While furniture shop Johua Doore in Plein Street - opposite the offices of the various parliamentary officials in the old South African Revenue Service building - had a window and a front door smashed.
New BMW's windows smashed
A plate-glass window was smashed in the neighbouring Cheetah Gift and Stationery shop.
Owner Richard Lee said barriers should have been put up by police.
He said small businesses like his provided employment and the people who were marching were not doing themselves any favours by behaving in such a fashion, which he described as being "interrupted by toyi-toyi".
"Small businesses should be protected by the government," he said. Outside his shop, the windows of a new BMW had been bashed out.
Philip Dearbreu, owner of Crispies Fish and Chips in Plein Street - which runs past parliament and offices of cabinet ministers - said he saw police at the start and end of the marchers, but none in between.
"They should have been circulating within the marchers to anticipate this, he said.
Parliament's gates locked
One man who did not wish to be identified said it was "like a revolution".
While no damage was done to parliamentary property, windows in a building housing parliamentary officials in Plein Street were damaged.
Parliament's gates were quickly locked as the situation got out of hand.
Traffic flow in the parliamentary area has now returned to normal.
- I-Net Bridge (News24)