M1 and M2 highways blocked by 10 000 protesting Samwu workers [VIDEOS]

About 10 000 City of Johannesburg employees affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) have blocked off the M1 and M2 highways in Braamfontein and the Johannesburg CBD.

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) said that the Samwu members are aggrieved over wage disputes, following an attempted engagement with the city’s leadership on Thursday morning in Braamfontein.

Watch: Protest by Samwu workers

Joburg highways blocked

JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the protesters have blocked off the M1 in both directions at Smit Street in Braamfontein and in both directions on the M2 in Selby, causing heavy traffic disruptions in the area.

Fihla said JMPD officers are monitoring the protest.

“Despite the closure, it is reported that the members are not violent, and officers have been deployed to divert traffic.,” he said.

Traffic is being diverted at:

• Empire Road on the M1 South
• Booysens Road on the M1 North
• Rissik Street/Selby exit on the M2 West
• Motorists coming from Crown using the M2 East can join the M1 South and exit at Booysens Road.

“We urge motorists to exercise caution, avoid the M1 and M2 highways, and use alternative routes to avoid the closures,” Fihla said.

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