Residents take job fight to the street
They were later released on R500 bail each and were due to appear before the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday this week.
Eight people were arrested on charges of public disturbance this past weekend in Protea Glen. This follows a protest by a group of disgruntled residents who are complaining about not being employed at the ongoing Lufhereng housing project.
The five females and three males were taken to Moroka Police Station where they were charged for public disturbance after closing the R559 road towards Randfontein.
They were later released on R500 bail each and were due to appear before the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday this week.
The protest started on Friday afternoon where a group of residents, some in ANC and SANCO t-shirts disturbed traffic on the intersection of Protea Boulevard and Tshipo Street.
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They were chanting slogans denouncing the Ward 135 Councillor, Phelelani Sindani calling him a sell-out who has failed the people of his ward.
They accuse Cllr Sindani of allowing people from other areas to work at the Lufhereng housing project while them as residents of Ward 135 are unemployed.
JMPD officers arrived on the scene and dispersed the crowd without arresting anyone. The group of residents took their protest action to R559 road on November 18 where the eight protesters were arrested.
“We have been engaging with Cllr Sindani about this matter but he is arrogant and doesn’t want to listen to us as the community. He has failed us and we want him out,” shouted one angry protester on Friday.
Responding to these allegations, Cllr Sindani rubbished claims that people who are employed at the Lufhereng housing project are from other areas and said they are from broth Ward 53 and 135.
“The reality is that unemployment is a national crisis and we are no exception. What our people should know and understand is that, not all of them will work at the same time. They will work but through phases, as the work is coming in phases,” explained Cllr Sindani.
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The Cllr went on to cite politics as being involved in the orchestration of the protest. He pointed at the organiser of the protest as being a former independent candidate who lost in the 2021 Local Government Elections.
Cllr Sindani said, “Upon him not being successful, receiving only two votes, his bitterness overwhelmed him. On the previous administration he used to collect money from the developers promising them protection.
“When I came into office, I stopped that nonsense and that frustrated him and his friends from the previous administration.”
The Cllr also alleged that the group of young people who participated in the protest are not even from the area but were ferried in by one Ward 53 resident in a truck.
“They tried to stop the Lufhereng housing project briefings but realising that they are no longer popular with the community, they then resorted to unsuccessful protests of about 20 people at most, majority of which are not even residents of Ward 135,” said Cllr Sindani adding that the protest was just politics of the stomach by the organiser.
