It was. The cleaning ladies were protesting in typical African style, i.e. dancing, singing and making a lot of noise when the cops suddenly went for them.

Most of the ladies were of some size, and many were not that young anymore, so running away fast was not exactly their forte. The South African sjambok is a nasty weapon, and I must say that whipping elderly women (or anybody else, for that matter) who haven't harmed anyone or caused any damage does not meet with my approval.

Johan