Polokwane - Residents of Mokgolobotho, outside Tzaneen, blocked a road to the Letaba Hospital in Limpopo on Wednesday, preventing patients and ambulances from entering.
They were demanding that the local Greater Tzaneen municipality restore water supply to their area.
They blocked the main road and said they would not back down their demands were met. On Tuesday night protesters preventing motorists from leaving the town.
Residents said they had been waiting for basic services like water for years. People blocked the R36 and waved placard reading “We need water” and “How do we survive without water”.
Residents said they ferried water from the neighbouring Nkowankowa township using wheelbarrows.
One resident, Mapula Monyela, said they risked their lives crossing busy roads pushing at least 120 litres of water on wheelbarrows.
“We are forced to cross the road while pushing litres of water, and there are speeding cars here,” said Monyela, a mother of four.
Protesters claimed the municipality had promised to resolve the water crisis earlier this year.
Police fired rubber bullets in an attempt to force protesters off the road.
Sapa