EIKENHOF: Sometime later the agitated crowd became restless and started to throw petrol bombs and rocks into the intersection. Johannesburg Metro Police Department and Mondeor and Johannesburg SAPS arrived on the scene shortly after and asked for calm, closing the road from Main Road to the four way intersection .
The crowd began rioting in the road, blocking off the intersection of Old Vereeniging Road, the R544 to Lenasia and R550 to Kliprivier with steel pipes and rocks. Some of the rioters were from the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) party. The angry mob, at one time, charged towards SAPS and JMPD members, who retaliated by using stun grenades and firing rubber bullets into the crowd to try and disperse them. Most of the rioters ran into surrounding velds, while others stood calmly by the road.
At 14:40 Ward 122 Councillor, Thabile Nkosi, arrived on the scene. The reporter asked her why she thought the residents were rioting. “In December some of the Jackson Drift residents were moved into houses in Lehae. MEC for Human Settlements, Jacob Mamabolo said no one would be allowed to move onto the empty stands. This has not happened and the empty stands are now being lived on. Residents are furious about this and want something doing,” she said.
Clr Nkosi said she will meet with Jackson Drift’s committee members on Thursday August 7 to see if they can come to some sort of agreement. By 15:30 calm had been restored and Old Vereeniging Road was reopened to traffic. As the reporter left the scene, JMPD and SAPS members were staying put and monitoring the situation.
