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Cape Town - One man was shot dead, while an ANC office and the houses of community leaders were set alight during a volatile night in Mandela Park and Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Hout Bay.
Provincial police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the body of a 19-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the chest early on Saturday morning.
The events surrounding his death are not yet known.
A murder investigation has been registered.
The situation in the informal settlement had already been tense, following weeks of on and off protests over housing, evictions and the poor standard of municipal services.
On Thursday morning, petrol bombs and stones were thrown at police officers, following the clearing of illegal structures.
Van Wyk said police entered Imizamo Yethu on Friday night at about 10pm to assist with the arrests of protesters in public violence cases.
"Protesters were moving around between shacks and pelted police members and Nyalas with stones and objects," he said.
"The protesters barricaded the roads at the Imizamo Yethu settlement to prevent SAPS from entering the area."
Van Wyk said an ANC building was set alight and has been completely burned down.
Pholisa Makeleni, an ANC member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, said it was the ANC’s Parliamentary outreach office in the area.
An ANC branch executive member's home, as well as a community hall had also been torched, she said.
Makeleni called on Western Cape Police Commissioner Khombinkosi Jula to "deal with the criminals" behind the violence.
Van Wyk confirmed that community leaders' houses were also set alight.
He said that shops of traders were also set ablaze.
"Containers housing Somalian shops were pushed into the roads and set alight by protesters, and at the same time they were used to barricade the roads."
In addition to the case of murder, various cases of arson and public violence were opened, said Van Wyk.
On Saturday morning, Van Wyk described the situation as "volatile" and said police would remain in the area.
