Soldiers last week joined safety and security cluster colleagues, the police, to defuse tensions in Cape Town’s Joe Slovo Park after protests which saw buildings burnt, stones thrown and land invaded.
“Tensions were high in the area and large groups of illegal protestors gathered,” according to the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) with police and soldiers the targets of stone throwers.
Police used a mobile water cannon unit to disperse protestors with soldiers assisting and ensuring police could prevent further violence and damage to property and see the 21h00 to 04h00 curfew enforced. A high school was reportedly petrol bombed.
Soldiers were again on hand two days later with Cape Town metro police in a joint operation across three suburbs. Men and women in the SA Army woodland pattern camouflage took to the streets of Greenpoint, Seapoint and Tableview to ensure local residents were adhering to level three lockdown regulations. Fines were issued and arrests made for driving under the influence (DUI), false drivers’ licences, drug possession and transporting alcohol.
