In what can only be described as civil war-like conditions, a police station was partially burnt in Hermanus and a tense standoff between police and "land-invaders" continues to escalate.
The incident occurred on Monday, and massive damage was inflicted on private property. At least 25 people were arrested in the town on the southern Cape coast, after scores of people marked out plots on vacant land.
According to TimesLive, Overberg police commander, Brigadier Donovan Heilbron confirmed that nobody had been injured in the fire.
Police retreats. Hermanus, South Africa. STAND YOUR GROUND! pic.twitter.com/9MtDFfNs1m
ā Cryosphear (@Cryosphear) March 26, 2018
EFF proportional representation councillor in Overstrand Benet Molefe told TimesLive that the EFF was "taken aback by the lack of action from the municipality and the provincial government".
"The municipality is busy building low-cost housingā but the process of handing over is a close [sic] guarded secret and not transparent at all. The houses being built are not sufficient to service the needs of the poor," Molefe said
As the EFF is a proud advocate of land expropriation, it supported the occupation of land in Overstrand. Red Ant security personnel were called in on Friday to dismantle illegal structures and evict people who had occupied the land.
The unrest in the town was the subject of many posts on Twitter: