WATCH: Tyres burnt, roads blocked in QwaQwa protest over water
Protestors took to the streets demanding an answer to the chronic water shortage in the town.
Community members are protesting over the lack of water in the area. Image: Twitter/@@KaayShaz
About 300 community members have barricaded roads with burning tyres and rocks in QwaQwa in the Free State on Monday.
It is understood that tensions reached boiling point after an eight-year-old girl drowned while trying to collect water from a nearby river.
Hundreds of locals in QwaQwa are protesting over the lack of water in several parts of the area as local taps are alleged to have remained dry since December.
A poster circulating on social media indicates that no one would be allowed to go to work, and urged protestors to refrain from burning or looting businesses in the area. It further states that the “shutdown” would carry on until water is restored.
https://twitter.com/SA_Civil_Crisis/status/1219175404629561344?s=20
Current Situation #Qwaqwa pic.twitter.com/CZY1URMKUx
— Bathong, Shaz ❤️ (@KaayShaz) January 20, 2020
QwaQwa and several parts of its surrounding areas have been battling with chronic water shortages for years.
Sitrep @ Phuthaditjhaba: +- 300 members of community barricaded the roads with burning tyres and rock's, situation is tense. If we can have crime prevention members to maintain our key points so that POPS can patrol the whole area and do arrests. @CyrilRamaphosa pic.twitter.com/lE4x3OYoYC
— Isoldé Laesecke (@ILaesecke) January 20, 2020
Things are bad there. #Qwaqwa pic.twitter.com/9YstPsgAuj
— tumi_mabote🇿🇦 (@mabote_tumi) January 20, 2020
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