Johannesburg - Protests in Alexandra township on Tuesday forced the official launch of the River Park Clinic to be cancelled.
In a bid to stop Joburg Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba attending the opening, several hundred residents including groups from the Jozi@Work programme, burnt tyres, City of Joburg flags and refuse while blocking roads with tree trunks, rocks and debris.
Some of the grievances protesters voiced included the cancellation of the Jozi@Work programme, that the mayor was the one opening it when it was the previous administration who built it and a call for those living in the area to be hired to work in the clinic, not people from outside the community.
“We don’t want him here, he has the audacity to come here after he ran away and wouldn’t take our memorandum on the scrapping of Jozi@Work at the council chambers last week,” said one Jozi@Work member, Elijah Malatji (corr).
“He can’t refuse to engage with us there and then come here to open a public clinic in the place where those he refused to speak with live,” he added.
Another resident, who only identified herself as Lindiwe said she was protesting because it was unfair that the mayor was taking credit for what for Mayor Parks Tau had done.
DISGRUNTLED: Jozi@Work employees protest in Alexandra where mayor Herman Mashaba was to open a clinic. Picture: Nokuthula Mbatha
“We want him here to open the clinic together with the councillors who created this project.
“It’s not fair, Mashaba is taking all the credit even though it was ANC who did this,” she said.
Community leader Tsietsi Kungoane said they were not protesting against the clinic itself.
“We love this clinic and we will do everything to protect it but we need to make sure that people from our community are hired, not outsiders,” he said.
Residents also clarified that the clinic is functional and this was just the launch.
Marching up and down the streets, singing and trying to block London Road with debris. The situation became tense at one point when several cars tried to drive through their attempted blockade and the protesters hit the cars with sticks and stones. One truck plowed through despite the threats and shouts from the crowd.
They vowed to continue blocking the roads chanting that Mashaba must “voetsek”.
Some protesters also threatened The Star’s journalist and photographer, threatening to slap them and break their gear if they saw them videoing or taking pictures.
When the crowd made the rounds across the area and returned to the clinic, a community leader came out and announced that the opening had been cancelled to which the protesters roared in triumph.
Some people said they wanted to engage with him and were upset he didn’t come.
Despite the protest, not all residents were happy that the opening had been cancelled.
“This is not about politics, it’s about the people here and the morale of the people here. This a clinic that will serve local people, not politicians,” said a resident who only identified himself as Cornelius
“If the politicians could just stop mud-slinging, sit down and discuss things, this wouldn’t happening. This was supposed to be something positive for our community instead it's marred with violent behaviour,” he said.
Tuesday’s protest was also fuelled by a leaked Whatsapp conversation between ANC branches that did the rounds on Monday, “calling on all branches to mobilise and support Ward 81 members in protest against” the clinics opening by Mashaba.
The ANC Joburg branch said in a statement it was disappointed that the opening did not go ahead and accused Mashaba of not attending “because he was afraid to address community members who wanted to address their grievances with him”.
However, the DA Mayoral spokesperson Tony Taverna-Turisan said that the decision was not taken lightly but was done given the situation on the ground.
“It would have served no purpose to have addressed the crowd and endangered the lives of the mayor and city officials when this disruption was a carefully orchestrated event by the ANC,” he said.
In a statement, Mashaba condemned the ANC Joburg’s actions in the strongest terms and voiced his .
“The opening of this clinic was a non-partisan community event meant to celebrate a new facility which will provide 34 251 people in River Park, Lombardy East, Rembrandt Park, Lombardy West and Tsutsumani with access to a quality healthcare services – something which all our residents deserve.
“I view cooperation as a crucial ingredient for ensuring the success of the City. I therefore also invited the City’s former MMC for Health and Social Development , Nonceba Molwele, an ANC leader, to take part in the opening of this clinic.
“Giving credit to the previous administration for starting this project,” he said.
“Sadly for the residents of this City, it is clear that the ANC in Johannesburg is adamant on robbing communities of access to quality public services.
“Instead, the ANC would rather engage in acts which promote public violence and undermine the safety of residents – all in the name of self-aggrandisement and petty politicking,” Mashaba said.
He stressed that Joburg residents had already turned their back on the ANC, and would continue to do so unless the party learns to respect the will of the people and work together with this administration to better the lives of all our residents.
“The ANC would do well not to become an obstacle to reversing the harm which they have caused.
“Rather they should work with the City so as to give residents, particularly those in previously under resourced areas, access to much needed quality public services,” Mashaba said.
“I am the Mayor for all residents of this City, no matter their political affiliation, and it is essential that in everything we do, our residents come first,” he concluded.
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