Metro Police monitor Pretoria protest

The Tshwane Metro Police are monitoring the situation in the capital’s CBD after residents blocked Kgosi Mampuru Road between the Kgosi Mampuru Prison and Visagie Street as well as in front of Tshwane House in Johannes Ramakgoase Road.

Metro police spokesperson, Isaac Mahamba, says residents blocked Kgosi Mampuru Road with burning tyres and stones, protesting the nomination of the ward councillor.

Outsourced workers also disrupted traffic at Tshwane House demanding to be re-instated.

Mhamaba says the roads have been opened and the metro police are monitoring the situation.

He says, “Kgosi Mampuru next to the correctional centre has been opened. Earlier, it was closed with burning tyres and people were on the street, but we can confirm at this stage that the road has been opened and our members are on scene – and will continue to be on site until we are sure the situation is back to normal.”

“This morning from four o’clock, TMPD was still at Johannes Ramakgoase in Tshwane House where the capacity group blocked the entrance of the employees who had to enter the building, but again the situation is back to normal,” he adds.

Bekkersdal protest

On Tuesday, residents of Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg said they  feel that their much-publicised 2013 protests over poor service delivery, which resulted in over R11 million worth of damage to infrastructure, were all in vain as services have still not improved.

Residents say overflowing sewage, uncollected refuse, a high crime rate, a lack of access to electricity, sporting and other recreational facilities are some of the challenges they are still grappling with.

Bekkersdal falls under the Rand West Local Municipality established in 2016, following the merger of the Westonaria and Randfontein local municipalities.

Residents say they feel their municipality has let them down.