/ 10 May 2017

Eldorado Park residents stuck in limbo after two days of protests, looting

A shop in Eldorado Park was set ablaze in the early hours of the morning.
A shop in Eldorado Park was set ablaze in the early hours of the morning.

The streets of Eldorado were quiet Wednesday morning after protests over lack of housing in Eldorado Park continued into Tuesday.

At least three petrol stations were looted on Tuesday. Door and windows were broken, remnants of food and empty cool drink bottles littered the ground.

Residents are concerned they haven’t been able to find any shops stocking bread or any other essentials to eat. Small groups of people are gathering in the streets in search of information about what will happen next and whether the protests will continue.

A local shop owner was giving loaves of white bread to a group of men and small boys outside of a looted Caltex petrol station despite losing his belongings. For a second, there was a burst of excitement and relief as the young boys took the bread back to their homes.

Along the main road, residents were seen sweeping up charred debris on the streets, trying to clean up the rubble from the week’s protests.

Schools have been closed until Monday.

Meanwhile, the situation remains tense in Ennerdale where unrest has continued this morning.