Townships : émeute à Ermelo et Boiphelo. Trois morts – 15 février 2011
S.African police clash with poor protesters
reuters.com
Tue Feb 15, 2011
ERMELO, South Africa (Reuters) – South African police fired rubber bullets, live rounds and tear gas on Tuesday at demonstrators protesting against the government’s delivery of basic housing and education.
Residents in the township of Ermelo in Mpumalanga, about 200 km (120 miles) southeast of Johannesburg, burned tyres and threw home-made petrol bombs in the second day of clashes with police who have closed major roads leading into the area.
Local media reported that one resident was killed but the police would not confirm or deny the report.
Protests by poor blacks, a main support base for the African National Congress, have put pressure on the ruling party before local government elections scheduled for May.
Since taking power in 1994 the ANC has made gains in addressing apartheid-era inequalities but faces an uphill battle to meet its commitments to the poor who have become increasingly frustrated at the slow pace of delivery. Read more…
Three dead in South African violent protests
AFP
By Tabelo Timse– 15 02 2011
JOHANNESBURG — Deadly clashes erupted between armed police and protestors in South African townships on Tuesday at demonstrations against government service delivery, with two children among the fatalities.
A total of three people were killed as police used both rubber-coated bullets and live fire to quell the violence which also saw protestors set a fire to a police station.
In Ermelo, around 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of Johannesburg, a man was killed in a second day of clashes there when police fired rubber live ammunition and rubber bullets at petrol-bombing protestors.
Police spokesman Leonard Hlathi said it was unclear how the man died.
« He was just found dead near where the protests are taking place, we don’t know the cause, we will leave that to the investigation and postmortem, » Hlathi told AFP.
In Boiphelo, about 300 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg, two children drowned as they allegedly ran away from the police who were firing rubber bullets. The police had opened fire in a bid to disperse protestors who had set alight a police station and barricaded roads, SABC public television reported.
Police said 42 people had been arrested in Boiphelo where it was reported the situation was calmed by Tuesday evening.
The situation remained tense in Ermelo, with protestors vowing to continue demonstrating until their demands were met. Police have arrested 76 people since Monday. Read more…
One dies as South African police and protesters clash
rfi.fr
15 02 2011
One man died in South Africa’s eastern province of Mpumalanga on Tuesday in the second day of clashes between police and protesters. At least 33 others were injured during protests about the lack of essential services.
The clashes centre on an informal settlement in the coal mining and forestry town of Ermelo, about 200 kilometres east of Johannesburg.
Demonstrators barricaded streets with rocks, metal and burning tyres.
Police fired live ammunition over the heads protestors to stop them blocking the main eastern highway. Officers specialised in crowd control have been drafted in.
The dead man was found in an open field near the township. Read more…
anthropologie du présent 