Eleven arrested over toilet protests in South Africa

Eleven people were arrested in South Africa's Cape Town township of Khayelitsha as protests over toilets continued says Western Cape police.

Times Live reports residents are protesting against the City of Cape Town's decision to remove the open toilets, after Africa National Congress, ANC Youth League members last week destroyed enclosures erected by the city. Western Cape police, Captain Anneke van der Vyver said those arrested would appear in court on Wednesday on charges of public violence. Shortly after noon on Tuesday the situation in the area was reportedly "tense but calm" in the face of a strong police presence. "I think the police have got everything under control," Van der Vyver said. Residents had burnt tires in protest against the municipality's removal of 65 toilets in the Makhaza settlement. Later burning barricades were erected before they were extinguished by the fire brigade. Van der Vyver said that as police tried to control the situation, protesters threw stones leading to the arrest of eight people. Three more were arrested in a similar incident elsewhere on Walter Sisulu Drive. She said "a high number of police have been deployed to monitor the situation and protect motorists using the roads." Cape Town mayor Dan Plato has said the toilets would be replaced once community reaches an agreement with the ANC Youth League.