Residents of shanty towns protest
They claimed the Tshwane metro had made promises it had since failed to keep.
Residents of informal settlements to the west of Pretoria barricaded roads on Tuesday morning in protest over “empty promises”.
They claimed the Tshwane metro had made promises it had since failed to keep.
Around 04:00, they blocked off the Daspoort Tunnel which connects the western suburbs to the city with rocks and burning tyres to force people to stay away from work.
Their action prompted the Tshwane metro police to cordon off Bremer Street to stop motorists from entering the blockaded tunnel.
The metro bus service was suspended for the safety of the drivers following a recent incident when a bus was shot at.
A security source said the drivers were scared to drive the routes affected by the protest action.
Metro police spokesperson Inspector Phindile Molefe said her officers had cleared the street off the tyres and rocks and traffic was flowing as normal.
“Traffic is flowing now and officers are keeping a close eye.”
André Kruger, chairperson of Hercules sector 1 CPF, said the protesters had dispersed and the streets were open to traffic.
