Police provoking the people of Zwelihle

LAND Party strongly condemn the police's behaviour towards the Black community of Zwelihle. The police have been provoking the community residents, particularly the people of the two well known informal settlements Dubai and Marikana. Since the beginning of the lockdown, the people of Zwelihle in Hermanus did not stay at their homes. They have been provoked by the police, gas canisters have been shot inside their homes, and live ammunition is being used against the people of Marikana. This kind of behaviour has been reported to the human rights commission and nothing has changed. This provocation is violating the lockdown regulations and it is wrong for the police to use the lockdown harass and torture the people of Zwelihle. The LAND Party calls the people to defend themselves against the brutality of the police. The people of Marikana informal settlement got every right to live peacefully and to remain safe from getting coronavirus. If there is any coronavirus outbreak in the community of Zwelihle, the LAND Party will hold the Station Commander, the Cluster Commander, the Provincial and National commissioners of Police, and the Minister of Police liable. The people of Marikana and Dubai, in Hermanus, have no option but to fight back. If the police cannot protect them, they have no other option. The community of Zwelihle, Hermanus has been reporting the conduct of police in their community to IPID but no action has been taken against the police to date. The LAND Party is concerned that the community is being taken back to the days of apartheid where police were declared public enemy. The LAND Party asks President Ramaphosa to quickly intervene before any life is lost in Hermanus. We do not need another 2018 because of police provocation and childish behaviour. END