Some 12 people have been arrested during a rally against gender-based violence and farm slaughter that has taken place outside the parliament of Cape Town, The Times, a South African daily newspaper, reported on Saturday, citing witnesses
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2020) Some 12 people have been arrested during a rally against gender-based violence and farm slaughter that has taken place outside the parliament of Cape Town, The Times, a South African daily newspaper, reported on Saturday, citing witnesses.
At about 11 a. m. local time (09:00 GMT) on Saturday, about 1,000 women gathered near the parliament to express their protest against gender-based violence. The rally took place shortly after the first anniversary of death of Cape Town University student Uyinene Mrwetyana, who was raped and murdered by a post office worker when came to pick a parcel on August 24, 2019.
Protesters said that the demonstration was not authorized by the authorities, as COVID-19 restrictions were still in place in the city, but "hundreds of women turned up anyway."
Witnesses stated that initially, the march was held in a "very gentle atmosphere," and then hundreds of motorbikes arrived at the site to protest against upsurging farm attacks across the country. After that, the situation became more tense, with the police allegedly started firing rubber bullets and stun grenades at protesters.
According to one of the protesters, arrested participants of the rally were kneeling on the street in the rain and holding up banners calling for the end of violence.
