Police disperse crowds in Cato Manor protest
KZN police say they have now dispersed protestors who had been demonstrating in Cato Manor in Durban since early this morning.
Residents from informal settlements there began protesting along Wiggins and Bellair roads, against the forceful demolition of their homes recently.
Protestors blockaded roads with boulders and burning tyres. Photos on social media show rubbish strewn across streets.
A Durban Transport bus also had a window smashed.
The police's Nqobile Gwala says Wiggins and Blinkbonnie roads and the intersection of Jan Smuts Highway and Bellair Road are still no-go zones for motorists.
"They are demanding to erect their shacks in the area so we are also advising motorists to use alternative routes. The situation is quiet at the moment and the police are at the scene, monitoring the situation," she said.
Resident, Pumlani Thekele says they are demanding to speak to the authorities.
"We feel mistreated. A court order has given us permission to keep our homes here. They are not respecting the court order as our homes have been destroyed. The worst thing is that there are people in hospital who have been injured when police fired rubber bullets at us. We have now resorted to this protest to show that we've had enough," he said.
