Cape Town – Protest action on the N7 south-bound at Malibongwe Road and the N7 north-bound at Plattekloof Road in the Dunoon area led to the freeway being closed in both directions on Tuesday between Malibongwe Road and Killarney Avenue.
But at 8am the City's Traffic spokesperson, Richard Coleman, said the N7 had been reopened in both directions, easing the traffic chaos, with the debris having been cleared.
Tyres had been burning in the road and there were also reports of a car having burnt out on the N7. Protesters also placed stones on the road and there were also reports of vehicles being stoned.
The army was subsequently deployed in the Dunoon area on Tuesday morning to help bring the situation under control.
At 8.35am, Coleman said Potsdam Road had been opened and that all roads in Dunoon were open.
Since last Wednesday, roads have been opened and closed intermittently due to violent protests triggered by a dispute between taxi drivers and the City.
On Monday, a truck was set alight on the corner of Potsdam Road and Stable Way, near Killarney International Raceway.
This led to Potsdam Road being closed in both directions between Malibongwe Drive and Killarney Avenue, while several roads were blocked on Monday afternoon with burning tyres.
The Milnerton Community Policing Forum warned that "the area should be avoided if possible", with motorists being advised to use alternative routes.
This comes after two trucks and a MyCiTi station were set alight during violent protests in the Dunoon area on Friday and a bus torched on Saturday.
Frank Qotyiwe, of the Dunoon Taxi Association, told News24 yesterday taxi services between Dunoon and Joe Slovo were suspended last week, but now a small group of drivers were protesting that decision because they wanted to drive again.
On Friday, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith had promised an extended crackdown on minibus taxi drivers and operators over protest action in Dunoon.
He said the City had deployed considerable resources to assist the SAPS with the ongoing unrest and vandalism in the Dunoon/Milnerton area.
"Taxi drivers and owners believe that they should not be fined or arrested for offences and that the City should engage them first in discussions about these offences. This is a preposterous proposal."
"As Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, I am calling on the senior staff within the directorate to arrange for an extended and intensive lockdown operations around public transport in Dunoon to ensure that the perpetrators understand that selfish, violent and reckless behaviour has legal consequences."
Video: Henk Kruger / African News Agency (ANA)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/BOSBEER2006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BOSBEER2006: #ProtestAction N7 DU NOON. A car burned out. N7 closed both directions at Du Noon, Cape Town. Avoid the area please. #Unrest pic.twitter.com/4detkSWfC0
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