Police will maintain a strong presence in the Diepsloot informal settlement north west of Pretoria on Thursday following the ongoing violent protests in the area, police spokesperson Inspector Percy Morokane said.
He said although the situation was calm, and ”everyone was going to work as if nothing has happened in the past days”, police were not going to be ”fooled”.
Diepsloot — part informal settlement, part housing estate — has seen violent protests since Monday.
Residents went on a rampage stoning cars, the police and journalists following rumours that they would be moved to Brits in the North West province on July 14.
They were moved from Alexandra to Diepsloot in 2000 after the Jukskei river flooded.
On Wednesday, police patrolling the township threatened to arrest reporters and photographers after it was declared a crime scene under Section 13 of the Police Act. The section gives police the authority to close off an area and control movement into and out of the affected zone.
Superintendent Morne van Wyk said the law was invoked to protect journalists and hopefully to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.
”The protesters are playing to the media and as a result the presence of the media is fuelling the violence and creating an unstable environment,” he said.
The R511 road between Pretoria and Johannesburg was closed on Wednesday after a substantial number of motorists travelling on the road had their cars badly damaged by a crowd who threw stones at them. The road was opened at 4.30pm.
More than twenty people, who were arrested in Diepsloot during the riots, would appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. They would face charges of arson and public violence. – Sapa