Road barricaded with tyres, rocks as some Alexandra residents protest
JOHANNESBURG – Alexandra residents have started gathering for their planned total shutdown of the area.
Several roads have already been barricaded with burning tyres and rocks.
Community members have accused the City of Johannesburg of failing to stop the mushrooming of illegal structures in the township.
One of the organizers, Sandile Mavundla, claimed that their calls for help from the city have not been answered.
“People are building under powerlines and the fire that happened at Stjwetla [informal settlement] it can occur maybe three times and we have a problem with infrastructure.”
⚠️Traffic Advisory⚠️: :
Reports of protests in Marlboro next to Sasol filling station & in Alexandra at Lenin Dr & the Far East Bank next to Gautrain Station. 1x Ringleader has been arrested by @SAPoliceService. Please exercise extreme caution when travelling in that area. pic.twitter.com/2IG6QCH4KV— David Tembe (@AsktheChiefJMPD) April 3, 2019
The #AlexTotalShutdown has already began. This is what I saw about 10 mins ago pic.twitter.com/Rt1hU1PlRz
— Molife Milton Kumona (@MolifeK) April 3, 2019
#AlexTotalShutdown pic.twitter.com/QIrXyXI4Ja
— Molife Milton Kumona (@MolifeK) April 3, 2019
The #AlexTotalShutdown has brought several areas in the township to a standstill where residents are gathering and burning tyres in at least five different spots.
The community is demanding better service delivery from the city of Johannesburg – one specific issue they want authorities to deal with is the illegal mushrooming of structures.
Standing at a top of a hill overlooking Alexandra township, thick clouds of smoke can be seen billowing in the air.
There’s a high police presence in the township with authorities monitoring the protests.
Officers have their hands full trying to clear roads barricaded with rocks and burning tyres.
However, some children can be seen walking to school while residents are making their way to work.
Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Wayne Minnaar: “There are lots of officers deployed on all the main roads. There has been a small group of protesters burning tyres at Lenin Road and then at Vasco and Fourth Avenue but it hasn’t affected functions and traffic flow is normal.”