JOHANNESBURG

Police in South Africa on Wednesday fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who were demanding better service delivery in Bekkersdal Township, west of Johannesburg.

“We used rubber bullets after residents started looting shops belonging to foreign nationals,” Johannesburg police spokesman Capt. Kay Makhubela told Anadolu Agency.

He said the angry residents blockaded roads and burnt tires disrupting the flow of traffic.

Makhubela said although protesters have a right to march, police could not sit and watch them infringing on the rights of other people.

Residents and police were involved in running battles in the township, with some residents seen pelting stones at the police who responded with teargas and rubber bullets.

“One person has been arrested and the situation is still tense,” Makhubela said, adding that several police officers have been deployed in the area.

Over 1,000 protesters blocked roads demanding electricity, better housing and proper sanitation.

Majority of residents in the area live in tinned houses with several families sharing a single toilet.

“Our government promised to give us free low cost houses, but we have been patiently waiting since 1994 in vain,” Bekkersdale resident Michel Mazibuko told Anadolu Agency.

Many protests have erupted in South Africa in the recent weeks as residents demand better services ahead of the May 8 general election.

Many South Africans don’t have proper housing and live in shanty towns with little services rendered to them.