Police Fire Stun Grenades at PAGAD Protesters

Police fired stun grenades as tensions reached boiling point during a march against gang violence led by PAGAD in Cloetesville on Sunday.

Chaos erupted in Cloetesville in Stellenbosch on Sunday as more than 100 residents marched to the homes of several alleged drug dealers.

Led by members of People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD), marchers stood outside each suspected “drug den” and issued warnings.

“You must stop smuggling (drugs)” Haroon Orrie of PAGAD told people outside one of the alleged drug houses.

“You are destroying the community. Do you have no shame?” he asked. Orrie told the police that there are “drugs in this home and we need to search it”, but police told him to move on.

“Don’t play with the community. Your time is up,” he told people standing outside the home.

The marchers, surrounded by a contingent of public order police with shields, chanted slogans such as “One gangster one bullet. One merchant one bullet”, “Long live PAGAD”, and “Down with the gangsters. Down with the drug dealers”.

Resident Kaashiefa Arnolds came out of her home during the march and complained that gang violence was rife in the area. “They shoot every night…They rob people every day,” she shouted. “We live in fear here.” She said in July a 15-year-old had been shot dead near her home.

Tensions peaked as marchers tried to break through the police line to get to houses they had identified as drug dens. Police used riot shields and fired a few stun grenades. The march was brought to an abrupt end.

“We are here to help and make a difference within this community,” said Zahrah Kriel of PAGAD. She said residents want to live in a safe area again. “We will not stand back to any gangster or drug dealer”.

Community activist Relston Lakay claimed that gangsters were being protected by the police. Lakay said that parents had to spend money on transport because it was not safe for their children to walk to school.

He said the march was “a stepping stone” to bring hope back into the community, where gang activity has been on the rise in recent months.

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