Protesters block R59 highway in Meyerton

Parts of the busy R59 road near Meyerton remained a no-go area on Tuesday afternoon amid a violent protest by angry and disgruntled residents of the Sicelo informal settlement.

Motorists have been advised to completely avoid the R59 highway in the wake of the tense standoff between the police and protesters.

The protesters, who are demanding houses, were seen at around 3pm standing in the middle of the highway while police officers kept a close eye near the Meyerton town.

The Sicelo informal settlement falls under the DA-run Midvaal Local Municipality, but according to the municipality, protesters are demanding temporary stands and claim they have been waiting for far too long on the Gauteng human settlements department to provide housing.

The local municipality said the process of giving people stands would not be an overnight thing as due processes have to be followed considering the fact that the informal settlement in question has parts that are dolomitic.

The protest started on Sunday afternoon and, since then, there has not been any sign of it ending soon.