A Sunday Times photographer and five Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) Youth Brigade members were wounded when police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesting youth wing members in Durban on Monday.
Tebogo Letsie was one of the reporters who ducked for cover when police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
Letsie was hit with a rubber bullet in his abdomen and immediately went to hospital.
Two cars were damaged when protesters tried to avoid being shot at by rubber bullets.
”Police behaviour was unacceptable. They just fired rubber bullets without issuing a warning. More than five people including a journalist were injured for no apparent reason,” said IFP Youth Brigade leader Mbokodo Mbatha.
He said they would lodge a formal complaint against the police.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said the police had fired rubber bullets because the protest was illegal.
He said according to the Public Gathering Act, police were supposed to issue a warning either by using a loudhailer or by word of mouth to people gathering illegally.
Two rival IFP youth camps were protesting outside the party’s offices in Durban. Neither of them had permits to gather.
One group was demanding the reinstatement of three youth brigade leaders, Irvin Barnes, Kumbuzo Khanyeza and Simpiwe Buthelezi.
The IFP recently expelled the youth brigade leaders after they led a protest calling for transformation in the IFP.
The youth were calling for the creation of a deputy president position in the IFP and for the treasury general position to be elected, not appointed.
The other camp was against the call for transformation.
Mbatha said the youth were not happy that IFP leadership imposed decisions on members.
According to the memorandum, which was supposed to be submitted to IFP leaders on Monday by the youth camp demanding transformation, IFP leaders put people in Parliament who were not chosen by members.
”One of the issues is the parliamentary list, which has no blessing from the voters.
”We are saying that list must be reviewed. Those who do not qualify or do not deserve to be in Parliament [must] be recalled.â€
The youth also wants councillors who were not nominated by IFP members to be recalled.
”Furthermore, the mayors who have failed to deliver to the required standard must be recalled because they are ineffective.”
Police dispersed the crowd before the memorandum could be delivered to the IFP. — Sapa