Motorists advised to avoid R21 highway amid ongoing Thembisa protest
Motorists are advised to avoid the area as a protester was reportedly shot and killed while the police station was set alight earlier on Monday.
Motorists are advised to avoid the R21 highway amid ongoing violent protests by Thembisa residents on the route.
This is after protesters blockaded the highway and torched a truck earlier on Monday morning.
According to reports, a protester was shot and killed while the police station was set alight.
Video https://t.co/xK9K2cxpbo pic.twitter.com/ATtJfV1UG0
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) August 1, 2022
Motorists travelling from and into Tshwane on the R21 are urged to opt for alternative routes.
Areas and routes near Thembisa were also affected.
Ekurhuleni metro police (EMPD) spokesperson Kelebogile Thipa told Rekord that motorists travelling from Tshwane on the R21 South should avoid the route.
Thipa said the protest was active on the R21 between the R25 off-ramp and the R562, just after Olifantsfontein.
She described the highway as a โno-go areaโ as all routes to Thembisa have been blockaded.
โ This is how #Tembisa is looking like… Traffic wise. It's a dead zone โ pic.twitter.com/ooLui1IReR
— ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ (@Takatso_Moloi) August 1, 2022
She added that the R21 north to Tshwane was not as bad, but it would be safer to avoid it.
The protest follows the Ekurhuleni mayorโs failure to appear at a meeting with Thembisa residents where community issues were to be discussed.
The community was also upset with recent municipal rates and taxes increases in the area.
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