Princess almost too peaceful
A resident returns to a peaceful Princess informal settlement.
The Record visited the Princess informal settlement late on the evening of Thursday 24 October after warnings of a possible riot.
This follows Roodepoort police, JMPD, City Power and the Public Order Policing unit (Pop) removing illegal electricity connections in the informal settlement on Thursday morning. The Record received various anonymous calls from residents enquiring and warning about a possible riot following the operation.
Upset residents alleged that some people from the settlement took to the streets and that many gunshots were fired.
Two Record journalists visited the settlement and found the opposite – a surprisingly peaceful Princess settlement. Along a road in the settlement at around 10 pm the Record came across Henry* who just returned from praying “on a mountain”.
He was carrying a walking stick and was dressed warmly for the unpredictable weather. He said that he was not planning on rioting because of the electricity and he believed that no one else was. He said that his solution to the problem was prayer and that he trusted that local government agencies would solve the problem amicably.
“I have many problems, and I speak about them to the only true Saviour, Jesus Christ.”
Henry asked that residents kept him and the rest of the settlement in their prayers.
*Henry is not his real name.
