We’re here in the City Bowl complaining about it being windy, and out in Mitchells Plain it’s a “war zone”.

That’s according to Community Policing Forum Sector 5 Lentegeur chairperson Faizel Flowers, who fears that the current unrest is set to continue for the foreseeable future.

If you’re playing catch up, and aren’t sure what has set all of this in motion, here’s a summary via Times LIVE:

…residents of the Siqalo informal settlement have, since Tuesday night, been protesting. They are demanding land and the provision of basic services. But neighbouring residents from Mitchells Plain – who are “fed up” at the regular road blockages – retaliated and took to the streets themselves.

That showdown has resulted in the death of a 21-year-old man, with a taxi ploughing through a crowd late last night.

It is reported that the taxi driver was left with little choice, after his taxi, with passengers inside, came under attack from those protesting.

This video was uploaded to Twitter last night at 10:21PM. A warning that is pretty graphic and contains bad language:

Taxi driver filled with passengers desperate to escape an angry mob on Jakes Gerwel Drive just ran over a young man in Mitchell’s Plain #SiqaloProtest #MitchellsPlainProtest @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/quHpSrHIQ7

— Aron Hyman (@aron_hyman) May 2, 2018

The same incident, filmed from a different angle, uploaded at 9:21PM:

JUST IN: Protests in Mitchell’s Plain and Siqalo informal settlement picking up again. Vanguard drive is blocked off from traffic going out of area due to residents forming chain in front of highlands drive. Police on scene and heavy traffic #MitchellsPlainProtest #SiqaloProtest pic.twitter.com/7boV3htl3N

— Athi Mtongana (@Artii_M) May 2, 2018

Here’s City of Cape Town law enforcement inspector Wayne Dyason speaking to the press last night:

“The community of Colorado have gathered on Jakes Gerwel Drive and Highlands Drive to voice their opposition to what’s been going on today and last night. Then a taxi came through and there was an argument between him and the protesters there. And then he [the taxi driver] continued driving at high speed past the protesters, hitting one person who was seriously injured. That person just passed away according to my information. So we have one fatality,” Dyason said shortly before 10pm.

The account from Highlands Valley neighbourhood watch chairperson Byron de Villiers is somewhat different:

“They were smashing in his windows and he had people inside. He was desperately trying to get away. It won’t help to crucify him now; it’s a bad situation here. Gangsters have now come here and are firing live rounds at the police and the police are retaliating. This thing is getting out of hand, it’s not going to end,” he said.

Tensions have clearly gone beyond boiling point, with other reports painting the picture of a stand-off that can only end badly.

How’s this opening line from a GroundUp piece that went live last night:

On one side of Jakes Gerwel Drive in Philippi stood Mitchells Plain residents with golf clubs, baseball bats and axes. Across the road were residents from Siqalo informal settlement holding rocks and golf clubs. In the middle were police in full riot gear.

Residents of Mitchells Plain believe that the protesters have gone about this the wrong way, and they are furious that they have, in many cases, been boxed in:

“There was always tension,” one Mitchells Plain resident said. “But this is the worst it has ever been.”

“Everybody has the right to live, but they [Siqalo] are going about it totally wrong,” said a resident of Mitchells Plain. Another said: “We can’t go to work every time they damage the road or our vehicles. Our children can’t go to school.”

Let’s let the people speak for themselves:

[LISTEN] Mitchells Plain resident #MitchellsPlainProtest pic.twitter.com/7ed90HC6o6

— Athi Mtongana (@Artii_M) May 2, 2018

As of last night, 30 people had been arrested and will be charged with public violence, according to a police statement.

[sources:timeslive&groundup]