Call for calm as Tshwane protesters run amok

Residents of Malusi informal settlement blocked roads and burned tyres, damaging street signage and sidewalk barriers in a protest over service delivery.

Pretoria – Streets signage and sidewalk barriers were damaged as residents of Malusi infomal settlement near Pretoria north went on on a rampage on Wednesday morning, blocking major roads and burning tyres.

Representing Tshwane Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, who was said to be as a summit in Limpopo, municipal executive director Lesutla Moroaswi appealed to the protesters for calm.

“I have urged them (protesters) to just remain calm. Allow us to talk to the mayor. He is competent enough to come and deal with this issue. I have told them that within seven to 14 days, the mayor must come here and report to them. The mayor is in a better position to come and deal with issues,” Moroaswi told reporters after meeting the protesters.

“I have received the memorandum on behalf of the mayor. Some of the demands on the memorandum are genuine. We do know the demands, for example the issue of buses which carry their children to school is caused by the SAMWU municipal workers strike. As I’m speaking now, we have communicated with our department and in the morning the buses will be back to transport the children.”

He said the informal settlement dwellers have felt neglected, but the municipality had their grievances on its agenda. The houses promised when the community was moved to the area were awaiting an environmental assessment green light.

“We are still waiting for the (environmental assessment) report so that the project can start. The community is feeling very neglected, but proper protocol must be followed,” said Moroaswi.

The municipal official received a hostile reception from the protesters, who kept demanding that Tshwane Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa must come and address them.

“The mayor is not here because he is at a lekgotla, which started on Tuesday. They have booked a place where they are dealing with council and municipal issues somewhere in Limpopo,” said Moroaswi.

In the memorandum given to Moroaswi, the protesters demanded that the use of Afrikaans around Pretoria north schools, which they deemed was exclusionary, must be abolished.

“Our kids have the right to learn and to education, like everybody. They are born in this country and their parents fought for democracy. We therefore demand that the department of (basic) education must instruct all schools to use English as the medium of instruction. African languages must also be introduced in the schools,” said said a leader of the protesters, Mpho Mashishi, as he read out their memorandum of demands.

He said the use of Afrikaans in schools around the areas was detrimental to black children, particularly from the informal settlements.

“Black people must be integrated into these areas. This is a democratic South Africa.”

In response, Moroaswi, said the issue would be directed to the department of basic education.

“Historically, in this area, the schooling in this area was normally offered in Afrikaans. I’m not defending the community. The only way to address it is to change the language policy by bringing teachers competent in our mother tongue languages. The department of education must hire teachers who are competent in other languages,” Moroaswi said.

“I can’t answer for the department of education, but we will deliver that memorandum. Remember this is a concern even in universities. This is not the competency of the municipality. This is a real concern because they (protesters) feel their children are segregated because of the language policy.”

Democratic Alliance ward councillor, Frik Van Wyk, said he had been raising the issue of service delivery to the informal settlement dwellers in council.

He said the children from the informal settlement could not be accommodated in nearby schools simply because the school classes were full.

Earlier, Tshwane Metro Police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba, said there had been reports of some protesters intimidating children at nearby schools.

“We have taken some precautionary measures and sealed off the streets. These streets have been filled with burning tyres and objects thrown onto the road,” said Mahamba near the protesters,” said Mahamba.

“It went to an extent that some parents in the nearest schools panicked and went to collect their kids from school. We have information that at a certain school, some people went to threaten kids in that school.”

He said the situation remained tense and roads, including the busy Bremer Street, would remain closed.

“As police, we remain here to monitor the situation. At this stage there are no reports of injured people. We have not arrested anybody up to this stage,” he said.

By midday, the barricades had been removed and the roads were now accessible to traffic.

African News Agency

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