PE taxi drivers arrested at demo
2010-03-15 21:08
-
Ports and Harbours of South Africa: Port Cities in South Africa, Cape Town, Mossel Bay, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Eastern Cape
Port Cities in South Africa, Cape Town, Mossel Bay, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Eastern...
Now R238.95
buy now
Johannesburg - Eighty-three taxi operators were arrested for an illegal march in Port Elizabeth on Monday, Eastern Cape police said.
Spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said police were forced to use stun grenades to disperse between 150 and 200 protesters who protested at the Port Elizabeth court against the arrest of a well-known Nelson Mandela Bay taxi boss, Melikile Hani.
"We warned them to move away and had to take action when they refused," said Janse van Rensburg. The protesters were arrested for illegal gathering and appeared in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court. They will appear again on April 21."
Hani, an official at the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality's housing department, was arrested for attempted murder on Thursday for an incident that occurred in January. He was held over the weekend and was not released on bail on Monday.
Janse van Rensburg said protesters threatened the metro's bus services on Monday, forcing the buses not to operate. Some taxis also did not work on Monday.
"We also closed off all the roads around the courts," she said.
- SAPA