A riot over electricity ended in a bloodbath with three people dead and more than 10 others injured.
Bishop Lavis residents took to the streets on Sunday night to demand power be restored after it went off on Friday and they decided to barricade Robert Sobukwe Drive.
The protest became violent and some residents allegedly fired shots at the police, who retaliated by firing live ammunition.
Conray Bennett, 23, and Julius Lakay, 43, were killed as they were standing on Robert Sobukwe Drive.
A third man apparently died of shock after finding out that his friend was killed during the riot.
Neil Botha, 41, was shot in the jaw while Carlè Martins was left with two bullets lodged in his head.
Marina Floris, who lost her fiancé Julius during the riot, says: “He was standing outside and when I heard the gunshots, I looked out the window and he shouted for me to close the window and said he was coming up the stairs.
“A few moments later he came up the stairs, he asked me for water because he was thirsty and I gave him. He then told me that he loves me. I told him not to leave me.
“He then called his daughter and told her, ‘daddy loves you’, and gave her a hug. And then after that, I couldn’t feel his pulse.
“He died just a few days before his birthday. In June we were supposed to get married but now he’s not here because he was shot by the police,” says a heartbroken Marina.
Bishop Lavis Community policing forum (CPF) Graham Lindhorst says cable theft was the reason for the outage.
Gailene Williams, 23, said the community decided to protest and her berk Conray joined because everyone was fed up with being left in the dark.
She says: “The police started shooting with rubber bullets and then changed to real bullets.
“He tried to run away but he was shot in the heart and arm. He died on the scene.”
Pastor Wesley Moodley says when he approached the police, they shot at him also, explaining: “I spoke to the residents to try to calm them down. It was disappointing, there was no warning from the police.
“Both community members and the police should take accountability for what happened.”
When the Daily Voice visited the area on Monday, an Eskom crew was on site. Eskom did not respond to queries but residents told Daily Voice that the power was restored just before sunset.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg says Bishop Lavis police registered two counts of murder and six of attempted murder.
The cop says: “Police members attended the crime scene where they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies.
“The 42 and 23-year-old victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel while the other victims were taken to a medical facility for medical treatment.”
He added that the matter is now being investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za