“It’s chaotic here; everyone is scared.” These are the words of a frightened community leader in Dunoon amid violent protests which have resulted in the arrest of 12 people.
The protests, which kicked off over the weekend, relate to ongoing concerns about housing but community leaders say “those looking in” have no idea of how the majority of residents are suffering. Community leaders are expected to meet with authorities tonight to help find a solution.
According to a report from Milnerton police, criminals have joined the protest and have started to target spaza shops owned by foreign nationals. Potsdam Road has been closed and residents say they are prevented from going to work and taking their children to school.
They explain the issue arose last week when men from Khayelitsha started to rile residents to protest over housing. The men led a march down Potsdam Road on Friday 8 April to the City of Cape Town. Traffic was diverted as the group made their way to the Century City train station and social media feeds buzzed with warnings to motorists.
At the time concerned residents in Dunoon called TygerBurger saying they were being held hostage by “trouble makers”.
This week, police spokesperson Warrant Officer Daphne O’Reilly says opportunistic criminals have now joined and on Monday commenced with looting Somali shops.
The community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says on Monday several properties were damaged. “They are attacking all the foreigners now and we don’t know what to do. It’s a desperate situation and these individuals are ruthless. They damage anything and attack anyone. If they see you with a bag going to work, you will be targeted.”
She says while housing is a major issue in Dunoon as the cold winter months loom, not everybody agrees with the violence. For this reason a peace march was hosted on Monday and community leaders will soon meet to discuss possible solutions.
“You see, housing is a problem. Winter will come and people will sleep on beds filled with water but this is not the way to address concerns.
“People looking at Dunoon must understand that there is a problem but these guys are troublemakers and are doing damage to our community. People are being fooled by these guys and everyone is scared to speak up because you will be targeted.
“We all have families to protect and we are scared.”
Meanwhile various City law enforcement agencies can be seen each morning along Potsdam Road, Malibongwe Drive and the N7. Motorists leaving Table View have been able to access these roads each morning.
However, Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith says along with the protest in Dunoon, officials are dealing with three other protests which are soaking up all their resources. “This is interfering with our work in communities and these protests are syphoning our resources.”
