Zandspruit protesters stone cars, loot shops
According to the ward councillor, the residents were angered by the metro police department.
A petrol station shop in the Zandspruit area was reportedly looted last night. Photo: Joburg West Responders.
A group of aggrieved Zandspruit, Gauteng, residents are again protesting this morning, Randburg Sun reports.
According to ward councillor Victor Mafinya, the residents were angered by Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), who apparently removed markers placed by the residents on municipal land.
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“The land has been earmarked for development and the project is in the advanced stages. Residents had planned to use the land to build houses for themselves,” said Mafinya.
Warning messages are flooding social media, advising residents to stay away from the area, as vehicles are reportedly being stoned in the area.
Reports also indicate that a petrol station shop in the area was looted during the protests last night.
Honeydew police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan confirmed that the protesters had looted a petrol station shop in the area. He said that cases of public violence, damage to property and theft had been opened, and are being investigated by police.
He said that police were on the scene and were monitoring the situation closely. According to Muthan, the protest was about “service delivery problems regarding electricity, housing, and so on”.
Mafinya was unsure of how long the protest would continue.
This is a developing story. More information will be published as it becomes available.
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