Pockets of protesters marched around Delmas’s Bontleng township on Wednesday venting their anger over a typhoid outbreak in the town that has claimed four lives.
Small fires were set at crossroads in the townships, and rocks, stones and cement slabs littered some streets while police patrols stopped occasionally for exchanges with protesters.
Rocks were thrown at a South African Press Association vehicle as well as a convoy carrying Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon.
At a protest at the town’s municipal offices in the morning, residents said they were angry with the way the outbreak was handled. They were also offended by reports that the epidemic was the result of them not washing their hands.
Since August 22, health authorities have scrambled to contain the epidemic and tests are under way to pinpoint its cause. Four people have died since the outbreak, and hundreds have fallen ill.
A South African Council of Churches delegation and Director General of Health Thami Mseleku were also in town on Wednesday to assess the situation.
A briefing at the Delmas hospital was told that more water containers were needed for the town and that at least 900 buckets were still in use in the town for ablutions.
Police said a man was slightly injured when rubber bullets were fired at about 7 000 people who marched to the Delmas town-council office.
”I don’t know if the person got injured because of the rubber bullets or what,” said Inspector Graham Grinsdell.
He said police started firing rubber bullets after someone from the crowd threw a petrol bomb at the council’s office.
”But we quickly extinguished it before it could [cause] any damage,” he said, adding the situation was under control.
The crowd marched to the council’s offices complaining that residents of the town were continually dying of typhoid.
Protesters later in the morning threw stones at Leon’s convoy.
”Fortunately we were not hit. People are understandably and justifiably angry,” the DA leader said afterwards. Leon denied he was the target of the attack.
”This is entirely inaccurate. We were received with warmth and enthusiasm,” he said in a statement afterwards.
”The attacks were the result of an exceptionally volatile situation that has developed in the town.”
Leon called for the outbreak to be declared a national disaster. — Sapa