Police presence strengthens – The video.

A service delivery protest in the Cape Town CBD turned violent when some protesters began looting street vendors yesterday (Wednesday). We spoke to 21-year-old Ingrid Musa and she had this to say: “I’m not going to vote if this is how they treat us.” Indgrid is unemployed, and she told us that the only reason she took part in the march was to support her family members, who were there to demand better housing. “My family is here so, I came to support them.”

Another man approached us as we were preparing to leave and told us that they were tired of empty promises. He added that they wanted houses and better service delivery. “Zille must stop playing with us!” The man shouted.

Mere minutes passed and some of the protesters began to march into town singing about Helen Zille. The hundreds of men and women ran back to Green Market Square and pulled down some stalls as they marched.

After a senseless 20 minutes of marching and running, one of the protest leaders – using a mega phone – shouted at the protesters to come back as he feared the police would arrest them.

The right to protest against poor service delivery is a right available to every South African, but infringing on resident’s right to safety can easily overshadow the real issue. LIVE retrieved some cellphone footage and images of the looting and protest.

Images: Andi Mkosi