Violent protest halts traffic in Durban

“Approximately 400 people were protesting and barricading different roads in the area, demanding RDP houses,” provincial police spokesperson Major Thulani Zwane said.

The protest is believed to have started at 2am this morning and is said to have caused congested traffic on the N2 and North Coast Road. The protesters, most believed to be residents of a nearby informal settlement, reportedly barricaded roads and burned tyres and trees at the entrance to Sea Cow Lake, Burnwood Road and in the Kenville area, North Glen News reported.

Local ward councillor Deochand Ganesh said the protest was triggered by lack of action from the government.

“The people say the government promised them houses and have failed to fulfill their promise, and they want the houses now. I don’t believe this issue will be solved overnight,” he said

Zwane added police were monitoring the situation, and that no arrests have been made.

Meanwhile, violence also erupted on Tuesday morning in Isipingo, south of Durban, after locals began looting foreign-owned shops and mugging and assaulting foreign nationals living in the area.

The looters claimed they were acting on the instructions of King Goodwill Zwelithini, who last week said foreign nationals living in the country should be deported, as they were seizing economic opportunities meant for locals. Zwane added police were monitoring the situation in Isipingo as well.

– Caxton News Service