Fifteen metro police officers were injured when Hout Bay residents threw stones at them as the City of Cape Town dismantled illegal structures in the area on Tuesday morning, a municipal spokesperson said.
The city’s land invasion unit was in Hangberg at 6.30am to remove structures built in the firebreak near Hangklip, which was a significant fire danger to local residents, Kylie Hatton said.
“Community members who were unhappy with the dismantling of the shacks, built between Hangberg and the Sentinel Mountain, started throwing stones at the city’s officials and law enforcement officers. Fifteen metro police officers were injured.”
Twenty-three unoccupied structures were demolished. The city would need a court interdict to remove occupied structures in the area. It planned to apply for the court order to remove all illegal structures in the area.
“The structures are built on the slopes of the Sentinel, a world heritage site. People just started building illegally here and the area is not safe for them as it is a firebreak.”
All access roads to Hout Bay were closed in the morning following the unrest.
Police managed to calm the situation down. At noon, police were still in the area. — Sapa