Police in Zandspruit fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd and arrested sixteen protesters in the Gauteng town on Tuesday morning.
Lieutenant Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou said the 16 were arrested for public violence in Zandspruit, north of Johannesburg, and confirmed that police had used rubber bullets to disperse the crowd in the early morning.
Gauteng housing provincial minister Humphrey Mmemezi spoke to residents and arranged to meet with them on Sunday to discuss their concerns, Ndou said.
He said the crowd dispersed after the speech, and denied reports by SABC news of renewed protest action.
“Early this morning there were protesters burning tyres and the road was closed, but for now things are quite quiet.”
Police were sent to Zandspruit at 3am on Tuesday, when resident blocked Beyers Naude drive near Honeydew, in protest against lack of housing and sanitation in the informal settlement. — Sapa