Ekurhuleni Public Order Police keep watch as protesters barricade roads into Tembisa, 1 August 2022, during protests throughout Tembisa over poor service delivery. This follows a night of riots. Two people have been shot dead in the violence. Picture: Michel Bega
A second community protestor has reportedly been shot dead in the Tembisa shutdown on the East Rand.
Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) have warned motorists and the public to avoid the area, saying the situation was volatile.
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EMPD spokesperson Kelebogile Thepe earlier confirmed that the first protester was fatally wounded in the crossfire between officers and other demonstrators.
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“We are really stunned by what is happening, it looks like we are in a difficult position with all the protesters coming from all corners, and we are trying to calm the situation down,” Thepe said.
Thepe added that officers used rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the angry crowd.
Angry Tembisa residents blockaded several roads around the community with burning tyres and rocks on Monday in a community shutdown.
Several municipal vehicles, including the municipal offices, have also been torched during violent protests with sporadic instances of looting being reported.
Members of the community have been demonstrating since Sunday night, completely blocking Hospital Road.
This over what they say is a deafening silence on their pleas for assistance with service delivery challenges.
Residents said that they would continue to protest until Ekurhuleni Mayor Tania Campbell came to the area.
Speaking to The Citizen, Andile Mzangwa says residents want service delivery to be expedited in the area.
“They are complaining about water, rates, the rent and the bond. Our gogo’s have been paying bond and even now – we are still paying and there is no change, and every year it becomes higher.”
Meanwhile, Campbell has called for calm to immediately be restored in Tembisa.
“Citizens have the constitutional right to protest, however, such acts of arson and vandalism to public infrastructure will not be tolerated. Last week, I delegated five Members of the Mayoral Committee to engage residents on the memorandum they submitted to The City. However, that meeting unfortunately collapsed and failed to reach any resolutions.”
Campbell says she will be contacting the Premier of the Gauteng Province through the intergovernmental relations channels to develop a coordinated approach to the impasse by government.
“As a Multi-Party Coalition Government, we are concerned that the visuals we are witnessing in Tembisa are no longer community-based, but rather a well-orchestrated operation to render the township ungovernable.”
“We believe that the current destruction of public infrastructure is politically motivated and intended to undermine the progress of the new administration,” Campbell said.
Campbell has urged the residents of Tembisa to remain safe and trust that law enforcement authorities will restore law and order in the area.
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