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- Police have “tried to quell” protests in various areas of Cape Town.
- The protests, which began in the early hours of Tuesday, have led to the closure of several roads.
- Protesters are reportedly demanding services from the municipality.
The Public Order Police (Pops) have been deployed in “sporadic” protests in Cape Town.
The protests, which began early Tuesday morning, saw main roads closed and protesters burned tires.
“The public order police, with the help of station personnel, have been trying to quell sporadic incidents of protests in various locations in Cape Town,” said police spokesman Brigadier Novela Potelwa.
The protests affected morning traffic on the N2 motorway, Baden Powell Drive, Mew Way, Hindle Road and the R300.
“The protesters are demanding electricity, water and toilets from the municipality. For now, the N2 road is open while Pops monitors the situation. Baden Powell is closed due to burning of tires on the road,” he said.
According to Maxine Bezuidenhout, spokesperson for Cape Town City Traffic Services, around 50 protesters were on the road and caused sections of the N2 and R300 to be closed.
READ | Morning protests shut down Cape Town’s roads
Protesters blocked the road at Mew Way, with stone-throwing incidents.
Protests were also seen in Mfuleni, with around 80 protesters causing closures on Forest Drive.
Western Cape Department of Transportation and Public Works spokesman Jandré Bakker urged motorists to use other routes.
The Public Order Police (Pops) have been deployed to carry out “sporadic” protest actions in Cape Town.
“We urge road users to avoid the area until the road is declared safe enough to be reopened,” he said.
Cape Town’s Mayco Member for Safety JP Smith said the protests were not only a violation of current Covid-19 regulations, but also endangered motorists and caused damage to the infrastructure of the city. city.
Private vehicles, as well as ambulances, had been stoned by protesters, Smith confirmed.
OPINION | The normality of anarchy
He added that most of the traffic and law enforcement resources had been reoriented to monitor the protest, along with the SAPS, and maintain a presence in the affected areas. This included the provision of detour points on roads that had been closed.
In addition to the reallocation of city resources, the protests come at a high price for the city: Smith estimates that damage to a road surface caused by burning tires can cost between R50,000 and R100,000 to repair.
He added that in a quarter, the city could spend in the region of R25 million on repairing infrastructure damaged in numerous protests, including road surfaces, traffic lights and vehicles.
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