Stop destroying public amenities, Nellmapius protesters warned

The Gauteng government has called on communities to refrain from resorting to violence and destruction of roads infrastructure when embarking on protest actions.

Public transport and roads infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo also raised concerns about the negative impact of traffic disruptions, roads blockades, destruction of roads infrastructure and the inconvenience caused to road users and motorists.

“We urge communities to raise issues affecting them in a peaceful manner and not to resort to destruction of public property and blockading of roads,” said Mamabolo.

This follows discussions the MEC held with several stakeholders including community leaders from Nellmapius ext. 22, the Mamelodi Amalgamated Taxi Association, representatives from the Tshwane metro and department of human settlements to provide feedback on the electrification of the Nellmapius ext. 22 RDP houses last week Friday.

“Affected communities must find ways to reach out to responsible structures such as councillors, who should handle and deal with these important matters.

“The provincial government also has various platforms and structures, including the Ntirisano outreach programmes where communities can voice their concerns about service delivery issues,” Mamabolo said.

Mamabolo stepped in after residents, demanding electricity, had blockaded Solomon Mahlangu Drive – one of the main arterial routes in Mamelodi – and shut down construction work.

This led to clashes with taxi operators who were demanding that the road be reopened as the blockade was affecting their operations.

Nellmapius ext. 22 resident Johannes Kokela said the community was excited back in 2015, when the metro handed them their houses, with the understanding that electricity would soon be connected.

“Another issue that drives the residents crazy, is that the metro is currently implementing a project to provide electricity to another part of Nellmapius ext. 22, also referred to as Spook Park, which does not have RDP houses, which started in 2018,” he said.

Mamabolo also appealed to the taxi industry not to resort to violence when faced with community protests.

“While we understand the concerns of the taxi industry that traffic disruptions, destruction and blockading of roads affect their daily cash flow and revenue, especially in the light of revenue lost during Covid19 hard lockdown, there is no justification to physically confront protesters,” he said.

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“We are deeply concerned about tensions between communities and the taxi industry playing themselves out on the roads, with the community protesting for services and taxi operators trying to recover from the negative financial impact brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mamabolo said.

He added that some taxi operators had opened fire at protesting community members.

He said he got a commitment from residents that they would not block the road again, refrain from damaging infrastructure and would instead approach the relevant authorities to resolve their issues through peaceful engagements.

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