On Friday tensions broke out between Hangberg community members and law enforcement officials after the City of Cape Town (CoCT) demolished what is deemed as an illegally erected structure.
The CoCT says that some of their staff were thrown with stones and that fires and petrol bombs were ignited.
According to a community leader, Roscoe Jacobs, 100 officers and 60 vehicles made their way to the area during the demolition. Jacobs says he does not agree with burning down buildings, however, many community members are frustrated that land that has been allocated for housing is being used by the CoCT for other purposes.
Along with an electricity depot construction site, an Educare centre was also damaged. The Little Angels Educare Centre owned by Liezl Matthews was completely burnt down by community members. The Educare Centre, which cares for about 87 children, also operated as a soup kitchen for community members during the national lockdown. In an interview with Cape Talk, Matthews said she knows who the people responsible are and will be laying charges.
According to Jacobs, the structure that was demolished by the CoCT belonged to community member Ginola Phillips; Jacobs says that the community will be assisting Phillips in rebuilding.
MEC for Human Settlements, Malusi Booi, says that officials would not have acted unlawfully and has requested a full report on the events that took place.
