WATCH: ANCYL protesters charge onto premises of new Ballito mall
Tensions are high between a large group of marchers and police in Ballito. Around 600 people have made their way towards the newly built Ballito Junction on the north coast.
Listen to the full bulletin below.
The marchers - being led by the ANC Youth League - are claiming the new mall is excluding young black people from benefiting economically from the development.
The march has hit an unexpected obstacle - with police barricading the route - bringing the procession to a complete stop at one point.
ALSO READ: Scores of ANCYL members march against 'economic exclusion' to new Ballito mall
Tensions are high at the #BallitoJunction mall - where #ANCYL marchers and police have clashed. pic.twitter.com/dkvqggSlN7
— ECR_Newswatch (@ECR_Newswatch) March 23, 2017
Youth league leader, Thanduxolo Sabelo, says officers ran a tape across Compensation Road and blocked it with vehicles - including a SAPS water canon.
Sabelo alleges police also pointed firearms at the demonstrators. He says they will not turn back.
"They wanted us to stop and wait for the other group. So they believed they could not talk to us, and decided to point firearms at us. And we said this is definitely out of order - you don't just pull out weapons just because you want to convey a message to us," he said.
Angry #ANCYL #protesters have converged on the #mall's parking lot. They're demanding to speak to #management. pic.twitter.com/Yy3hax4R1C
— ECR_Newswatch (@ECR_Newswatch) March 23, 2017