Kleinvlei residents on Thursday took to the streets to beg authorities to help with their flooded homes.
About 100 mense of Keerom and Albert Philander Street staged a service delivery protest at the premises of the City’s Disaster Management depot, burning tyres and barricading the roads with rubble.
City workers wearing orange and black rainsuits stood in front of the gates to prevent them from entering.
The community members said they had informed their councillor Kariena Mare on Monday about the damages to their homes but received no assistance.
In videos shared widely on social media, adults and children stood around as the police spoke to two community leaders.
A man wearing a blue jacket then throws a rock at the City staff. The police grab the man by his dreadlocks while other cops start shooting rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
A woman intervenes and tries to pull the man from the officers, and a tug of war ensues. He is eventually set free with bystanders swearing at the cops.
Councillor Mare says: “The protest was all about the floods, they told me about it and I reported it on Monday. According to them the relief didn’t come fast enough.
“But they also informed me that for the past two years, it’s been the same thing and they don’t get any assistance from the City.”
She says people want their drainage system to be changed to avoid the floods.
She says she will meet with the community next week as she has to attend a family funeral in Gauteng.
“There were people from the City to assist them. I want to meet with the community leaders and the people of road infrastructure and the subcouncil and we can pave the way forward.”
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi says: “Integrated Law Enforcement agencies were deployed to the area to restore calm. Kleinvlei police registered a case of public violence for further investigation. We can confirm that no suspects have since been arrested.”