Residents of the Covid informal settlement near Mfuleni in Cape Town blocked parts of the N2, the R300 and Old Faure Road on Monday morning. They used burning tyres and debris to close the roads, GroundUp reported.
It was the fourth protest in a week. The residents are asking for water and toilets in their settlement.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said police moved in to break up the crowd. “Police took action to disperse the crowd, however no arrests were made and no injuries were reported. The roadway has since been opened to traffic,” he said.
Twigg said police and other law enforcement agencies would stay in the area to watch the situation. He asked people who protest to stay within the law.
On Friday, Western Cape police spokesperson Ndakhe Gwala said police would open a case of public violence. He said about 500 people had taken part in that protest.
Residents said they have to cross the busy N2 and R300 to relieve themselves on open land. They said many people have been hurt, and some have been killed, while crossing the roads.
Community leader Bathandwa Gali said people are angry because the City of Cape Town and the Premier’s Office ignored their memorandums. Nearly a year ago, residents marched to the offices of the Western Cape Premier and the Cape Town mayor.
“After we handed memos to the Premier Office and the City of Cape Town, we expected senior officials to come and tell us what they could do for us. We have been staying here for six years but we don’t have water and chemical toilets,” Gali told GroundUp.
One woman at the protest said she does not feel safe when she relieves herself beside the N2. She said some drivers stop and wave at her to come to them.
Resident Zandile Ntsabo said the community depends on one tap that residents put in themselves. They use it for cooking, drinking and washing clothes.
“We always experience long lines in the morning when people prepare to go to school and work as the water drips out of the tap slowly,” she said.
Ntsabo said older residents who live far from the tap use their grant money to pay young people R10 to fetch water. The young people carry the water in wheelbarrows and trolleys.
She said her family stopped going into the bushes after a man approached her teenage daughter there. They now use buckets inside their shack and empty them into a hole they dig.
Regan Thaw, spokesperson for the Premier’s Office, confirmed that the office received the memorandum. “The matter was referred to the Western Cape Department of Local Government,” he said.
GroundUp said it had asked the City of Cape Town for comment and was still waiting for its response.
Source: this article is based on reporting by GroundUp. Image: GroundUp. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.