Johannesburg - A service delivery protest by Diepkloof Hostel dwellers has resulted in a milk truck being torched and looted after protesters pounced on the unsuspecting truck driver.
Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla said protest action took place on the N1 north and N12 east split at the Diepkloof interchange next to the Diepkloof Hostel.
He said there were no reports of injuries and the situation was calm as JMPD and SAPS officers had been deployed in the area.
"This protest and resultant lane closure caused heavy delays on the N1 north and N12 east as traffic was being diverted at the Golden Highway and N1 north," he said.
Traffic had to be rerouted after the protest brought parts of the N12 interchange to a halt for the better part of Monday morning. It has been reported that the residents of the area were protesting against water and electricity issues.
A truck driver who was en route to make a delivery in Kempton Park and did not want to be named said he was greeted by a mob of protesters as he was travelling alongside the area.
"I was travelling to Clayville from Port Elizabeth when this happened. This is the first time that something like this has happened to me. I am scared for my life and had to flee when they came for the truck, to save mine. All I saw were people burning tyres, and there was morning traffic when this happened. When I realised that other cars were making a U-turn, I also tried to turn back, but it was too late. They then came in numbers and grabbed me and started looting the truck before burning it," he said.
A resident of the Diepkloof Hostel who also did not want to be named said she was suffering due to the electricity and water shortages.
"As a resident of Diepkloof Hostel, I am suffering because of electricity. We have not had electricity for a long time. Even when we go to work in the morning or at night, we get mugged due to the darkness. We are not happy at all," she said.
Yet another resident and chairperson of the Diepkloof Hostel community organisation, Sibongiseni Khoza, lamented the issues faced by his community.
"The problem we have here, which has contributed to this protest, is that we feel as though our government does not care about us. We feel neglected by the leaders. The biggest issue is electricity. There is electricity coming into the hostel since there was no electricity, and the former housing MMC (Mlungisi Mabaso) intervened to resolve this issue. He then appointed a contractor to install electricity. We were told that this contractor would work for six months, but they only worked for three months and resolved the issue partially. They did not finish the job, and we were told the funds were finished and they could no longer continue," he said.
Khoza said they have been sent from pillar to post by this contractor.
"We, as the residents of the hostel, are not happy about all of this. This shows that the leaders do not care about us. We are forced to live in dilapidated houses where there is no running water or proper ablution facilities," he said.
The Star