The protest, which follows the removal of some 20 shacks by the City’s Anti-land Invasion Unit, led to more than 500 people going on a rampage, setting fire to a local community hall and a clinic.
On Sunday night, a MyCiTi bus was torched by protesters.
Residents living in Capricorn Way, behind the clinic, say they battled to put out the flames themselves as the fire truck could not access the clinic, as rioters were stoning passing vehicles.
A woman, who spoke to the Daily Voice on condition of anonymity, says she went to Phoenix to see her boyfriend who lives behind the clinic, and when the fire broke out, residents could not get help.
“At the same time they burnt the community hall and the fire truck was there. We went to Milnerton Police Station, but they just told us that the protesters were stoning them and they could not get in,” she says.
At the same time, the Daily Voice received a message indicating that Milnerton police were told to withdraw from the area and wait for the Public Order Police to arrive.
The woman says the residents rallied and gathered buckets and hoses to stop the fire from spreading.
“We basically put it out ourselves, but we did eventually get help from Principal Inspector Vivian Henry who jumped in and ran down Koeberg Road to get the water truck to come and help us,” she says.
“He was really fantastic and did his best to help us, but the police were pathetic.”
Lorenzo Hutchinson adds that residents used water from their taps to douse the flames and are now worried about high water bills at the end of the month.
Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut says police took action to disperse the crowds and to maintain law and order.
“No one has been arrested. The circumstances surrounding the public violence are being investigated,” he says.
Meanwhile, Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith has condemned the damaging of the community hall and says the fire damage is “extensive”.
All the rooms in the centre, including the hall, kitchen and sports equipment were gutted.
“This is particularly hard to swallow when just yesterday [on Tuesday] the Department of Recreation and Parks finished extensive repairs to all ceiling boards and doors in this facility after years of motivating for the funding for these repairs."
Over 2 000 children a week visit the centre to take part in recreational activities, including aerobics, basketball, drama and crèche programmes.
The centre also had a very popular gym.
He said no room within this facility was spared in this act of violence.
The main hall and kitchen have both sustained substantial fire damage.