Further protests over toilets

2010-06-01 14:16

Protesters burn tyres on Baden Powell Drive in Cape Town. (William McIntosh, Kaapse Son)

Cape Town - Eleven people were arrested in Khayelitsha on Tuesday morning as protests over toilets continued, Western Cape police said.

Captain Anneke van der Vyver said they would appear in court on Wednesday on charges of public violence.

Shortly after noon the situation in the area was "tense but calm" in the face of a strong police presence.

"I think the police have got everything under control," she said.

Roads barricaded

Earlier, residents continued burning tyres in protest against the municipality's removal of 65 toilets in the Makhaza settlement.

Tyres were burnt on a footbridge on the R300 and the N2 was blocked for a period with concrete slabs and burning tyres. It has since been reopened.

This was followed by the erection of burning barricades on Baden Powell Drive, which were extinguished by the fire brigade.

Van der Vyver said that as police dispersed the crowd there, there was stone throwing, which resulted in the arrest of eight people.

Later there was a similar incident on Walter Sisulu Drive, where police arrested three more.

They were all being held at Harare police station.

"A high number of police have been deployed to monitor the situation and protect motorists using the roads," Van der Vyver said.

Toilets removed

Residents are protesting against the City of Cape Town's decision to remove the unenclosed toilets, after ANC Youth League members last week destroyed enclosures erected by the city.

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato said on Monday the toilets would be replaced once residents had built enclosures themselves.

"Given that the city has been prevented from building the remaining enclosures, we have resolved to temporarily remove the toilets until appropriate enclosures have been built.

"We are willing to go back and reinstall the toilets as soon as the community reaches an agreement with the Youth League," he said.

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