A 20-year-old Bayview resident died after he was run over by a taxi during protests outside the Isiqalo informal settlement in Philippi last night.
Several residents were also injured last night when the protests on Jakes Gerwel Drive became violent again.
The protests and related violence, including shooting, the burning of tires, looting of ATMs and businesses and the razing of a fruit and vegetable stall, have flared intermittently since late Tuesday night.
Last night, Mogamat Tauriq Mohamed was at the scene when a taxi ploughed into him, in an apparent hit-and-run, Wayne Dyason of the City’s Fire and Rescue services said.
Lentegeur police said Mr Mohamed was declared dead on the scene by paramedics. A case of culpable homicide has been opened.
The protests at the Philippi informal settlement, along Jakes Gerwel Drive between the R300 and Highlands Drive, started late on Tuesday May 1 because the City of Cape Town had not responded to a letter demanding service delivery to the area, which is on privately-owned land.
The protest turned violent when it spilled onto Highlands Drive and protesters started looting an ATM at the petrol station and burnt a fruit and vegetable stall to the ground. Residents retaliated by throwing stones at the protesters and shots were fired.
Traffic services closed off sections of Jakes Gerwel Drive and the roads leading into it, for several hours, on Wednesday May 2, causing severe traffic congestion in and out of Mitchell’s Plain.
On Wednesday night the violence flared again and several residents were injured during scuffles with the police, who set off stun grenades and opened fire to disperse the crowd.
One man was shot in the leg and underwent reconstructive surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital.
Hundreds of residents also formed a human chain along Highlands and Jakes Gerwel drives to prevent protesters from entering the community again.
Chris Nissen, commissioner in the Western Cape from the South African Human Rights Commission, and Dan Plato, MEC for Community Safety, entered the settlement on foot to talk to residents of both communities to try and stop the protests and come to an agreement.
A crowd followed them and the talks soured when chaos broke out.
Several organisations, including the Muslim Judicial Council and the Mitchell’s Plain United Residents’ Association, are meeting with residents to try and find a peaceful solution.
