KNYSNA NEWS - The recent spate of protest action and stone throwing near the N2 at Nekkies has not only put passing motorists in peril but residents of the area as well.
A fearful Nekkies local, Noxolo Damane, approached the Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) on August 18, after the latest incident of protest and stone throwing the night before.
Damane claims that some type of gas canister was fired into her home near the N2, even though she was not involved in the action, and she had to flee her home with her husband and 5-year-old son in the late hours of the night.
Damane said she was sitting in her living room with her husband just before 22:00, while her son was asleep, when they heard a loud bang and some gunshots. “It sounded like it was right by our window, and then it sounded like rain was falling on the roof even though it wasn’t raining outside at that moment.
“I became worried for my child and when we went into his room we just saw smoke. Our chests were also feeling tight, like we couldn’t breathe, and got my child out immediately,” she said tearfully.
They then ran out of the house towards her mother-in-law’s home, she said. “People were running and shots kept going off. We were so scared.”
What enraged Damane is the fact that she and her family were not even involved in the protest action or stone throwing.
“The police assume the guilty people live near where the stones were being thrown, and they just react. They must think that these people might live somewhere else, do a patrol first and find out where they are before they react. Innocent people are being affected by this. We can’t solve everything with violence. The police and the guilty people must think about that,” she said.
Damane said she alerted the police of the incident and cautioned them to be careful of innocent people when they react.
In response to the allegations and statements made by Damane, Knysna police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies said on August 23, "The police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Our information currently available indicates that the group protested about service delivery issues. No arrests have been made yet."
ARTICLE: STEFAN GOOSEN, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
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