‘EK SKIET JOU IN JOU GEVRIET’ – Stellenbosch officers clash with ‘land invaders’

NewsSportLifestyleEntertainmentOpinionNews Western Cape‘EK SKIET JOU IN JOU GEVRIET’ – Stellenbosch officers clash with ‘land invaders’Rasaad Adams|Published 43 minutes agoCopy to ClipboardAsk AICLASH: The Tactical Response Unit was deployed alongside the Red Ants during Saturday’s clash with Jonkershoek residents over municipal land.

STELLENBOSCH mense have accused law enforcement officers of opening fire on a crowd and threatening to shoot a man in the face during a heated confrontation over government land in Jonkershoek on Saturday.

The clash erupted when a group of inwoners reportedly attempted to occupy a piece of land reportedly belong to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure by erecting structures, prompting law enforcement officers and the Red Ants to move in and demolish them.

One resident claimed the officials arrived without documentation or a court order to remove a structure belonging to someone who had lived in the area for years.

He wysed: “When we asked them for a court order, they said they don’t need one, they will just tear down the structure.”

He alleged that the situation escalated, with officers firing shots and deploying teargas as residents, including young children, were caught in the chaos.

The inwoner said: “Law Enforcement just started shooting at people. They also sprayed teargas. It was like cowboys and crooks. And there were children in the crowd, babies as young as one.”

Another resident claimed an officer pointed a shotgun at him while he was taking cover behind his car.

The source sny die stuk so: “He pointed the shotgun at me and said he will shoot me in my gevriet. I told him I just wanted to help my friend who was lying on the ground struggling to breathe.”

GOOD party councillor in Stellenbosch Marius van Stade condemned the alleged conduct and vowed to lodge a formal complaint with the municipality.

“I will not tolerate our people’s right to dignity being infringed like this. There are standard operating procedures that all municipal officials are expected to adhere to,” he said.

“I will be writing a formal complaint to the office of the municipal manager. I want to know if the behaviour of these Law Enforcement officers is in line with the municipality’s standard operating procedures.”

Van Stade, who said he was born in Jonkershoek, added: “I am not happy with what happened here today.”

Stellenbosch Municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar told Daily Voice that the municipality could not allow residents to erect structures wherever they pleased without meeting the relevant legal and municipal requirements.

“The municipality acts within the framework of the law and will continue to apply legislation and applicable procedures consistently,” he said.

Grobbelaar said law enforcement officers and the Red Ants had been deployed to remove illegal structures in accordance with the municipality’s standard operating procedures.

He said about 20 people allegedly became aggressive during the demolition and attacked the Tactical Response Unit (TRU) team and the Red Ants.

According to Grobbelaar, two people allegedly fetched pit bulls from a nearby house and set them on the team, while others continued throwing stones at officers and personnel.

He said stun grenades and rubber ammunition were fired because of an immediate threat to the safety and lives of those involved.

Despite being pelted with stones again as they withdrew, Grobbelaar said the team and the Red Ants managed to leave the area safely.