Pretoria - Rubber bullets have been fired in Eersterust on Thursday after calm was restored following a violent protest on Wednesday.
The protesters are back at it. On Thursday morning Eersterust was back to normal and calm was restored. But from about noon groups of people started mobilising. They started collecting tyres and writing placards demanding more houses be built.
A stones throw away from them on Stormvoël Road is a heavy police presence keeping a close eye on the protesters. Insults are being hurled at police while they shoot rubber bullets dispersing the crowd. Protesters have blocked Hans Coverdale road with burning tyres and boulders.
On Wednesday they threatened to continue with protest action if mayor Solly Msimanga didn’t address them immediately.
But the mayor's offices, chief operations officer from the City James Murphy told protesters that the mayor could only avail himself on June 29. This didn’t sit well with them.
Tyres are set alight on the streets of Eersterust. Video: Sakhile Ndlazi
On Wednesday Eersterust was in “lock down”. Upset with what they said was slow service delivery in their community, residents barricaded roads to vent their longstanding grievances which they said continued to fall on deaf ears.
Constant electricity cut offs, high rates and taxes, water restrictions and flawed RDP processes are just some of the burning issues that residents faced.
Hundreds of residents held protests from 5am in the morning that saw all entrances from Stormvoël Road blocked, stones hurled and rubber bullets fired by police.
The action meant that residents who attempted to get to work were turned back, but schoolchildren were given a free pass.