Johnathan Paoli
A truck has been torched and attacked by looters on the N12 highway near Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg.
The driver, Melusi Geba and three others were heading to Germiston from Lenasia in Johannesburg south, when they came under fire.
“The road was clear. As I approached Slovo Park, residents ran onto the road, throwing stones. Other cars managed to make U-turns but I couldn’t. I tried turning and was stuck in the middle. They ran to our truck. I tried reversing and failed. Our jobs are gone. They have torched our truck. Our employer is angry. He has lost and we might lose an income. These protests are impacting heavily on us truck drivers,” Geba said.
Subsequently, police tried to stop the residents who pelted the police officers with stones and other objects.
Residents from the Slovo Park informal settlement have been protesting since Monday over prolonged failure of basic service delivery.
Protests have been on-going since the failure of the City of Johannesburg to implement processes as prescribed in the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP) for the upgrading of the Slovo Park settlement, and despite the partial electrification of the settlement in 2018, access to basic services are still lacking.
Two children have died in this settlement after falling into pit latrines and other needs of the community have been ignored by officials.
On Monday, 16-year-old Karabo Chaka was killed after he was allegedly shot in the back of the head by police.
In a press statement, The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI-SA) condemned the use of excessive force against the protesters by the police.
JMPD Spokesperson, Xolani Fihla, has warned motorists of various road closures.
“The N12 freeway near the Slovo informal settlement remains barricaded off to traffic with rocks and burning tires and this due to ongoing protests.
“The situation is tense with reports of a truck that was looted earlier. The freeway is currently closed off between Klipspruit Valley Road and Golden Highway as officers divert traffic away. Motorists are advised to avoid and use Klipspruit Valley Road and Golden Highway and Main Road as alternate routes,” Fihla said.
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