Galeshewe protest blocks road over service delivery failures

COMMUNITY members from Tambo Square, Marikana, Galeshewe Greater Number 2 and Scandal staged a service delivery protest in Tyson Road in Galeshewe on July 29.

Residents raised serious concerns about the high cost of electricity, soaring unemployment — especially among young people — and sewage running into their yards and streets.

SAPS Northern Cape spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock said that Public Order Policing officers, with support from local police stations in the Kimberley precinct, policed the protest action, where about 80 residents barricaded Tyson Road with rocks and burning tyres.

"The protest took place on Tuesday, starting at about 7am. The road is still closed to traffic. No serious injuries or incidents were reported to the police; however, the SAPS is monitoring the situation," Kock added.

Meanwhile, Madiba Park residents who protested outside the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature on July 25 said they were satisfied after work began to demarcate plots in the area.

They noted that residents were temporarily relocated while the area was being cleared.

Their protest aimed to draw the attention of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Cabinet members, who were in the city on Friday for an oversight visit to assess the state of service delivery in the province.