UPDATE: Calm returns to the north after protest
Residents have been protesting since the early hours of Tuesday, demanding that the Tshwane mayor reverse a decision to absorb the Sandspruit Works Association.
Traffic in Mabopane, Winterveldt and Ga-Rankuwa was mostly back to normal on Wednesday morning after tense service delivery protests the previous day.
However, police still had to nip some minor incidents in the bud such as when residents tried to block streets with burning tyres and rubble.
“Police managed to disperse the protesters and clear the roads,” spokesperson Captain Matthews Nkodadi said.
“The situation is calm for now.”
On Tuesday residents from the so-called Mawiga townships, led by the Baagi community forum, blockaded roads with rocks and burning tyres, accusing the Tshwane mayor of not taking them seriously.
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The forum said the protest was “the beginning of a massive shut down planned for the next three days”.
“Msimanga is undermining us,” said forum committee member Daddy Mohlokoane.
“He is not taking us seriously. We have marched to his offices and handed over a memorandum to his office. He knows what our problem is.”
Mohlokoane said the protest followed several attempts to get the metro to attend to their issues, but in vain.
“We are unhappy about the metro’s decision to absorb the Sandspruit Works Association (SWA) and take over its water service delivery functions as a going concern.”
The SWA used to provide water, sanitation and related services to areas such as Mabopane, Winterveldt and Ga-Rankuwa.
Recently the metro announced it would write off debts totalling millions of rands for the residents.
“The mayor said he has reduced debt for the residents, but the debt keeps on increasing,” said Mohlokoane.
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