South Africa: Police shoot 3 children in Cape Town

Police proceed with unlawful eviction of 1600 residents in Delft, Cape Town

Police have started shooting people at close range in Delft. There is pandemonium and brutality. Following yesterday's ruling in the High Court which uphold's Thubelisha Homes and the state's eviction order against the community, the residents decided to appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. The lawyers worked through the night doing the paperwork for this appeal.

Ashraf Cassiem, Anti-Eviction Campaign Legal Co-ordinator is still finalising the paperwork for the case to go to the Supreme Court of Appeal but the police decided to proceed with the evictions anyway. All the Anti-Eviction Campaign co-ordinators have advised the police that there is another legal case pending and they have no authority to evict until the legal process is exhausted but they are doing it anyway. This is unlawful.

Mncedisi Twalo of the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign was making a speech to the people of Delft urging them to sit down on the spot, and the police suddenly opened fire on him and the Delft residents who were directly in front of them – very close range.

20 residents have been injured and rushed to hospital, including the three children.

There are an estimated 55 dogs on the scene. Peoples' furniture is almost totally destroyed with the police going out of their way to trash it instead of removing it in an orderly fashion.

Police are now trying to drive all the residents off the site away from their furniture and residents are trying to resist.

For comment from the scene call Ashraf Cassiem on 076 1861408 or Mzonke Poni on 073 2562036 or Mncedisi Twalo on 078 5808646