Chaos has erupted in KuGompo, formerly East London as a
protest against the alleged coronation of a Nigerian Igbo king turned violent.
A ceremony was recently held to install Chief Solomon
Ogbonna Eziko as the king of the Igbo people in the Eastern Cape city.
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Damage by protesters
Police say protesters torched and damaged 10vehicles on
Monday afternoon.
They also partially torched a building in the North End earlier.
Officers fired shots to disperse the crowd.
Organiser and leader of the March and March movement Jacinta
Ngobese-Zuma took to her social media page to give clarity on the events that
took place, before the violence broke out.
She says they handed over a petition near the East London
City Hall.
She claims the protest took a turn after two marchers were
allegedly stabbed and run over by a car.
The injured protesters have been rushed to hospital.
Emergency services, including the fire department, remain on
the scene, along with the Public Order Policing Unit.
Recent demonstrations in Durban
Last week, March and March members joined by different
political parties held a demonstration in Durban and called on the government
to reserve the township economy for South African citizens.
The movement is demanding urgent legislative changes to
prevent undocumented foreign nationals from operating businesses in township
economies.
Hundreds of protesters, also from various political parties
and civil organisations, marched from King Dinuzulu Park, past City Hall,
before gathering at Hoy Park, where the memorandum was handed over to SAPS and
government officials.
Stun grenades fired
While marching on Wednesday afternoon, a group of people
chased a person suspected by the crowd to be a foreign national, prompting
officers to step in and escort him to safety.
During the confrontation, some members of the crowd began
throwing stones and other objects at police.
Officers responded by deploying stun grenades to disperse
the crowd, which had begun moving towards the ANC provincial headquarters.
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