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South
Africa might be out of the headlines, but don't worry its problems
didn't go away – or the strikes or civil unrest
South
Africa protesters burn tyres, loot shops
Thousands
of South Africans burnt tyres and vehicles, barricaded streets and
looted shops in the industrial town of Sasolburg near Johannesburg on
Monday, the worst social unrest this year around the commercial hub
of Africa's biggest economy.
21
January, 2013
Three
police officers were injured when a mob threw stones at them in the
town, 90 km (55 miles) south of Johannesburg, Constable Peter Kareli
said.
In
return, 50 officers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades and
deployed water cannons to disperse the rioters, who went on the
rampage because of a plan to move local government boundaries, he
added.
"These
people are attacking us in groups at different locations so it is
difficult for us to control them," he said.
Some
of the crowd were armed with knives, machetes and firearms and police
had made at least 130 arrests since the violence broke out on Sunday,
he added.
Sasolburg
is home to the 108,000 barrels-per-day Natref refinery, owned by
petrochemicals group Sasol and oil major Total. Kareli said the
refinery was not in danger.
Violent
protests erupt periodically in South Africa's predominantly black
townships, which have seen little improvement in living standards
since the end of apartheid in 1994.
Other
stories involving civil unrest -
"Hundreds
of Chinese factory workers angry about strictly timed bathroom
breaks and fines for starting work late held their Japanese
and Chinese managers hostage for a day and a half before police
broke up the strike."
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