Lerato Mbhiza
Residents of Diepkloof Hostel in Soweto intensified their protests on Wednesday as they again took their frustrations to the streets.
The Johannesburg South community is calling for the government to provide them with electricity, houses and public toilets.
Earlier on Wednesday morning Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda visited the area and tried to calm the waters by promising to refurbish the hostel and fix the electricity and sanitation issues at the hostel that are at the core of their grievances.
“The City has a budget that it can channel towards the refurbishment of hostels. The budget allocated to refurbishment of hostels is in excess of R120 million,” Gwamanda told the hostel leaders and indunas while on a walkabout to assess the state of the area and to speak to community members.
The residents have been complaining that they had been waiting for RDP houses which they had signed up for more than 20 years ago, as well as for delivery of essential services , but were continually side-lined by the government while foreigners and non-residents were prioritised.
On Monday, residents used burning tyres to barricade the road, singing and demanding that government officials meet with them to resolve this burning issue.
They said violence and protest is the only language the government understands.
They later went on the rampage, smashing windows of five cars – two police vehicles as well as cars belonging to News24, the Sowetan, and SABC were also damaged after being hit by bottles thrown by the protestors.
Three people were arrested when the police clashed with the hostel dwellers.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s Xolani Fihla said the police were on the scene and monitoring the situation.
“Currently Marthinus Smuts Drive right at the entrance of Diepkloof hostel is barricaded with burning tyres and rocks except the main roads within that vicinity, that’s the Chris Hani Road, the N12”.
This is not the first violent strike for service delivery by the Diepkloof community.
In 2017 the community took to the street in protest over land and housing and the Gauteng Human Settlements Department appealed for patience and said it was working to address their grievances. But since then nothing has been done.
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