AN 18-year-old male was arrested for a charge of public violence in Manenberg and expected to appear in court after two groups started gooing klippe at each other on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed the incident and said: “Be advised that Manenberg SAPS members attended to a complaint of stone-throwing on 18 March in Renoster Road and Sabie Close, Manenberg.”
“An 18-year-old male was arrested for a charge of public violence. He will appear in the Athlone Magistrates court once charged.”
A video clip that was captured inside a resident's yard shows stones being thrown op en af. A group of men can be seen throwing stones in the street as stones are being thrown back to them.
While the video is being captured, bashing can be heard. A klipgooier is seen picking up a stone in front of the gate and tries to duck by entering the resident’s yard. The woman can be heard shouting: “Huh uh, uit hie’.”
Deputy chairperson for the Manenberg Community Police Forum (CPF) Vanessa Adriaanse said that the klipgooiery has been an ongoing sukkel for years.
She says: “Nobody was hurt yesterday but there is forever someone getting injured. The extent of this stone-throwing goes as far as the highways such as the Duinefontein and Klipfontein Roads. Lives have been lost before because of this behaviour and it's innocent people.”
“You can’t go to the shops or walk in the community when they are busy with the stone-throwing. Saps are forever called to the scene but there is just no more discipline because sometimes Saps are on the scene but they don’t care.”
She said that most of these klipgooiers are underage children.
Adriaanse adds: “These children should be in school or university, not outside behaving like this. We found big people are also involved now but it is escalating to another level causing gang wars. Saps is doing what they can to conquer this, but they can’t do this alone, we need the community to unite.”
“We have attempted a lot of things including workshops and some of the other community leaders are involved but somehow it stops then after a while it starts again.”