Zimbabweans to protest in Pretoria: These streets will be affected

Several streets in the City of Tshwane are expected to be affected during a protest march by Zimbabwean nationals on Tuesday.

The protesters will march to the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria to oppose the increase in the Zimbabwean passport price.

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition urging the Zimbabwean government to review its decision to hike the cost of a passport by nearly 50%.

Passport price

On 26 July, the Zimbabwean consulate in Johannesburg announced that the price of a passport would rise from 170 US dollars (about R3,100) to 250 US dollars (about R4,540), according to GroundUp.

Organisations representing Zimbabweans in South Africa have called on the government to consider low-income earners.

The Zimbabwe Community in South Africa, which aims to represent the interests of Zimbabweans, launched a petition on 30 July.

March route

The City of Tshwane has warned that streets in the city will be affected by the march and urged motorists to exercise caution and patience.

“They will gather from 10:00 at an open space at corner Madiba Street and Stanza Bopape street.”

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The route of the march is as follows:

“From the gathering point, they will join Stanza Bopape Street and turn left onto East Avenue, then turn right onto Merton Avenue, proceed on it until they reach the Embassy of Zimbabwe before Eastwood Street.”

The following streets will be affected:

• Stanza Bopape Street
• Beckett Street
• Thomas Avenue
• Pine Street
• Hamilton Street
• Merton Avenue

Alternate routes

The Zimbabwean nationals are expected to disperse from the Embassy of Zimbabwe at 1pm.

Motorists are advised to use alternative routes such as:

• Pretorius Street
• Francis Baard Street
• Park Street
• Edmond Street
• Eastwood Street

The City of Tshwane said Tshwane Metro Police and South African Police Service officers will be deployed to monitor the march and all the affected streets.

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