Police fire teargas during protest over food parcels

Residents of Veeplaas took to the streets on Tuesday in protest against a lack of food parcels.

The Port Elizabeth protest, which started at about 10am, saw police arrive about 15 minutes later.

A number of residents who said they had not taken part in the protest said they were upset as police had fired teargas which had negatively affected their children.

Akhona Blouw, 31, said he was angry as teargas had wafted through his yard and into his home where he has a 10-month-old baby.

Blouw said the protest took place in Koyana Street and he had witnessed so many people protesting that he had been unable to count them.

Protesters barricaded the road with rocks, logs, wire, broken glass and tyres which they burnt.

“The police arrived, they shot people with rubber bullets and people ran in all sorts of directions.

“They threw teargas into our yards as well [and] we don’t understand why they did that.

“We are extremely angry because we have children in this neighbourhood. We didn’t protest, why are we being affected?” Blouw asked.

Honey Gqokoma, 34, who said she had been hit in the calf with a rubber bullet when she exited her home to collect water,  said she had quickly pushed her daughter back into their home.

She also said two protesters had jumped into her yard to escape police.

“There were two men who jumped into the yard while running away from the police but they were already gone by the time I came out,” she said.

Gqokoma said the protesters had said they were taking to the streets because they were hungry.

Ward councillor Mbulelo Gidane said he had opened his office when Sassa announced that food parcels would be available but 2,404 applicants had arrived while Sassa had only provided about 70 food parcels for his ward.

“We gave all forms [applying for the food parcels] to Sassa to screen and approve them.

“I wanted to address the crowd, but there are regulations that I can’t break as well. They  gave all the 70 approved candidate [food parcels].

“We want to appeal to residents to protect families.

“About 70% of the people that were there [protesting] were children.

“Can I be given space to do what I am elected for — to serve.

“I want to distribute food parcels and last week we fed 70 people on our own,” he said.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo referred questions to provincial police with Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Sibongile Soci referring queries to Captain Khaya Tonjeni.

Tonjeni had not — by the time of going to print — answered questions relating to resident’s claims that innocent bystanders were allegedly teargassed and hit with rubber bullets.