Three trucks torched during electricity protest in Boksburg

Three trucks were set alight last night allegedly by protesting residents from the Jerusalema informal settlement near Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

Police spokesperson, Colonel Brenda Muridili, said the protest action over demands for electricity supply broke out after 8pm on Tuesday night.

Muridili said no injuries were reported from the protest action, and that no arrests had been made in connection with the events that unfolded.

Residents from Jerusalema and surrounding informal settlements, again, took to the streets in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Police spokesperson, Captain Mavela Masondo, said on Wednesday morning, protesters barricaded Main Reef Road with burning tyres and rocks, prompting police to call in its public order policing unit and reinforcements from local police stations.

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Masando said a group of about 200 protesters were asked to disperse but had refused, resulting in the police using stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

Two suspects were subsequently arrested for public violence, Masondo added.

Masondo said the situation in the area was currently calm, and the roads that were barricaded by the protesters had been cleared.

The police would continue to monitor the area, Masondo added.

Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu

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