VIDEO: “We will block Malibongwe Drive until our demands are met” – Protesters
KYA SAND – Protesters blocked parts of Malibongwe Drive in a service delivery protest on 3 September.
Members of the Greater Lanseria and Cosmo Business Forum blocked roads surrounding Malibongwe Drive in a service and job delivery protest on 3 September.
The Randburg Sun was on the scene of what was supposed to be a peaceful march from Zandspruit to Lanseria International Airport, which quickly turned violent when police arrived to disperse the crowds.
Various intersections in the area were blocked with rocks and burning tyres, with police diverting traffic to avoid commuters getting their cars pelted with stones.
Fringe groups of protesters broke off from the main crowd, who the police contained with tear gas and rubber bullets.
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The protest group was made up of residents of various informal settlements within Ward 96, such as the Thabo Mbeki, Cosmo, and Zandspruit informal settlements.
“We will be marching to the airport to hand over our memorandum. We have had a lot of meetings with business owners there and we want them to see that we are serious about our demands,” said the forum’s representative Godfrey Makgoba.
The memorandum addresses unemployment, housing, and service delivery of electricity and water.
The Randburg Sun spoke to Themba Mkwanazi, an unemployed protester who says he is at his wits’ end.
Mkwanazi said, “Part of our demands is that the ward councillor must go. He does not attend to community issues since he has been in office, such as electricity, running water and jobs. We have been waiting almost a year for electricity,
“We also have people who work in businesses around the area who come from as far as Thembisa in the East Rand, when we as people are right here. We are appealing to businesses to employ us as locals.”
According to the forum, they had followed the correct procedure to engage in the protest and did not understand why the police had been deployed to contain it.
“The same police that are supposed to be protecting us fired rubber bullets at us today,” said Makgoba.
“This is why we resorted to burning tyres and stoning cars. We are going to block Malibongwe Drive until whoever is in charge can come and hear our voices, even the president of the country.”
Commuters are encouraged to plan alternative routes on as the protest action continues in the area.
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