Cape Argus: Macassar Village residents torch truck in protest

The comrades arrested after this incident were released the same day, and all charges against them were dropped, after a march on the Macassar Village police station.The occupation continues although without structures – people are living and sleeping out in the open.

http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5026432

Macassar Village residents torch truck in protest

June 08, 2009 Edition 2

Luleka Damane

A PROTEST over service delivery turned violent today when residents of Macassar Village burned tyres and attacked and torched a bread truck.

Police believe that the protest started at about 5am and calmed down by 8am.

Kramat Road was closed this morning while the road was being cleared of the burning tyres and the bread truck.

Provincial police spokesman Superintendent Andre Traut said the bread delivery truck had been on Kramat Road when it was stopped by five men who told the driver to step out the vehicle.

The men then set it alight.

The truck driver was not harmed and fled the scene.

Traut said a case of hijacking had been opened at Macassar police station.

He said police had a reason to suspect that the hijacking and torching of the truck were linked to the service delivery protest.

Traut said between 50 and 100 people had protested.

This the second protest in Macassar Village in the past few weeks.

Last month backyard dwell-ers, protesting against the slow roll-out of houses, burned tyres and threw stones at police officers.

http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5026811

Bread truck hijacked and set alight near Macassar Village

June 09, 2009 Edition 2

Staff Writer

A BREAD truck was set alight and three people were arrested during a service-delivery protest held near Macassar Village early yesterday morning, police said.

Police spokesman Andre Traut said the protest by about 100 people on Kramat Road was thought to be linked to a recent land invasion in the area.

But backyard dwellers, who have set up on a pavement after being evicted from land they occupied, denied involvement in yesterday’s incident.

“It happened shortly after 5am. No injuries have been reported. We opened a hijacking case because the bread truck was hijacked before it was set alight,” Traut said.

He confirmed a Metro Police report that two men and a woman had been taken into custody but said no arrests had been made in connection with the hijacking.

Metro Police spokesperson Nosiseko Manuel said the three would face public violence and riotous behaviour charges.

Premier Foods spokesman Steve Mallach said the company would resume bread deliveries as soon as it was safe.

“They (the driver and two assistants) were pulled from the truck, but were not injured. It was very, very scary. I think it was a case of the bread delivery truck being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The truck was a write off, but that is our secondary concern. Our primary concern is to resume our service to the community,” Mallach said.

Backyard dweller Lukhanyiso Tyhali said: “It was not us. When I woke up about 8am I heard something had happened.”

Andiswa Kolanisi said: “We had nothing to do with it, but the Metro police came and arrested our people.”