17 arrested in Saldanha protests
Cape Town - Ten suspects were arrested on Thursday night on charges of public violence and seven suspects for business robbery in Saldanha, Western Cape police said on Friday.
Police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk also said two SAPS vehicles were damaged by protesters.
The arrests follows three days of protest action in the Vredenburg area on the West Coast over poor service delivery.
On Tuesday Public Order Police were deployed to Vredenburg and surrounding areas in response to protests in Ongegund, an informal settlement.
According to police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk, protesters started to throw stones at Vredenburg Police Station and damaged 11 SAPS vehicles, several private vehicles and shops.
Thirty-eight people were arrested on Tuesday.
On Thursday the protest spread to Saldanha, with police saying that tyres were burnt and stones thrown in the roads and at police by a group of about 5 000 people at about 3 am.
The protest occurred in the Irak and Middelpos informal settlements and spread to Diazville. Action was taken to disperse the crowd.
According to reports, the Diazville Civic and some of the buildings at the Tabakbaai Holiday Resort was set alight. No injuries were reported.
Van Wyk said on Friday that police and other law enforcement agencies would continue to monitor.
IOL
