EKURHULENI - Police fired rubber bullets at illegal occupiers in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, on Tuesday during a tense standoff with law enforcement officials.
The confrontation erupted as City of Ekurhuleni officials carried out an eviction at a building reportedly illegally occupied.
Earlier, a two-storey Home Affairs building in the area was set alight, allegedly by protesters.
Ekurhuleni Emergency Services (EMS) spokesperson William Tladi, who was at the scene, said the fire had severely damaged the top floor, while the extent of the damage to the lower level was still unclear as crews were struggling to gain access.
No was injured or killed in the blaze and the cause remains under investigation.
As a safety precaution, President and Jack streets were closed to traffic, and nearby buildings were closed off.
Meanwhile Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber condemned the incident, calling it an “attack on social infrastructure.”
Home Affairs is collating evidence and will open criminal charges against the anarchists who set a block of flats on fire in Germiston, which then spread to the neighbouring Home Affairs office. It is nothing less than an attack on our social infrastructure and cannot stand.
— Leon Schreiber (@Leon_Schreib) August 12, 2025