Man electrocuted during Quarry Road protest
A protester, understood to have been running away from police during a protest near the Quarry Road informal settlement, has died after he became entangled in a web of illegal electricity connections.
The man, who has yet to identified, is understood to have been part of a group of shack dwellers who embarked on a violent service delivery protest today.
It's understood the man had been running away from police who had wanted to arrest him for public violence.
Police search and rescue unit officers braved the live wires to pull his body to the riverbank.
The police's Thulani Zwane explains what happened.
"The police tried to arrest the perpetrators but they managed to arrest two of them. The third one ran away form the police, they gave chase.
"As a result, it is alleged that he was electrocuted while he was running away from the police and died instantly," he said.
Motorists were warned to steer clear of the M19 in the vicinity with some of the protesters hurling stones at cars.
Crisis Medical spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said that paramedics had treated a group of six children for teargas inhalation.
"All of the children were stabilised by medics at the scene and treated with oxygen. All remain in a stable condition," Van Reenen said.
(Photos: Crisis Medical)