Police In South Africa Use Force To Disperse Hospitality Workers Protest - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) Police in the South African city of Cape Town used stun grenades and water canons to disperse a protest of hospitality industry workers against the government's coronavirus-related policies, local media reported on Friday.

According to the CapeTownEtc news portal, the #ServeUsPlease protest started peacefully in the morning, but turned violent as police arrived at the parliament building to disperse the crowds, using stun grenades and water cannons.

Tourism and hospitality workers reportedly took to streets to sound alarm about the plight of employees as businesses are crumbling under pressure from the COVID-19 lockdown, in effect since March.

Quoting participants, the news portal said protesters had organized into groups of 15 holding five feet-long ribbons between each other to respect social distancing.

In South Africa, food businesses are still allowed to work, but with observance of strict quarantine measures. Additionally, alcohol sales were banned nation-wide due to COVID-19.

As of Friday, South African health authorities have confirmed 408,052 coronavirus cases, including 6,093 deaths and 236,260 recoveries.