Protesters threaten to keep city road closed
PROTESTERS in Scandal, Galeshewe, on Wednesday threatened to keep Tyson Road closed following the “failure” of the So Plaatje Municipality to address their service delivery issues.
The residents are angry and frustrated and accuse Sol Plaatje executive mayor Patrick Mabilo of not delivering on his promises and of “playing delaying tactics” and putting their health at risk.
They barricaded the road with stones and burning tyres in the early hours of Wednesday morning, while the police monitored the situation.
The protesters demand that members of the mayoral committee inspect their settlement.
They want the blocked water canal to be cleared and cleaned, water taps and mobile toilets to be installed, proper roads and refuse collection services.
Mabilo, along with the acting manager of Infrastructure Services, Phetole Sithole, and the acting municipal manager, Boy Dhluwayo, had met with the disgruntled community members on Monday when the protest began.
The residents at the time “warned” Mabilo that no projects in their ward should be allocated to “outside” service providers.
“They must not even think of bringing other people to work in our ward. We also have companies that can get tenders in our own wards,” they said.
By Wednesday, the municipality had allocated 10 mobile toilets to the settlement. Reef soil was also sent to the settlement to fill the “water dumps” and to level the street.
The protesters pointed out that none of their other demands had been met.
Protest action continued throughout the day, although the protesters did open one lane of Tyson Road to relieve the afternoon traffic rush.
They threatened to keep the road closed until the municipality delivered on its “promises”.
“We will protest throughout the Easter weekend if we have to. We will move the tables and chairs into the road and have our fish here,” warned the residents.
