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By Sakhiseni Nxumalo 
14h ago
Durban – Hundreds of angry residents of the informal Quarry Road settlement in Reservoir Hills made the rampage yesterday, stoning and burning vehicles and looting businesses.
More than 600 community members blocked the M19 and Quarry Road with burning tires, starting at 5 am, demanding electricity, housing and sanitation.
Community leader Chester Lakini promised that they would not stop protesting until their demands were met.
“We were promised adequate housing after the floods and nothing has happened to date. We will no longer be deceived.
“We don’t want to talk to the councilor, the mayor should talk to us and give us a date of when they are going to move us to new houses with adequate electricity,” he said.
The protests are believed to have sparked after the municipality of eThekwini allegedly disconnected illegal electrical connections last week.
KZN police spokesman Captain Nqobile Gwala said that 10 suspects, aged between 18 and 40, were arrested for public violence and were expected to appear in court soon.
He said that a police vehicle, private vehicles and a bus were damaged by the rebel protesters.
Durban Metro Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said some law enforcement officers had been injured by protesters.
He said protesters broke into a shopping mall in Reservoir Hills and also looted a butcher and liquor store.
Reservoir Hills Taxpayers Association President Ish Prahladh called on the municipality to urgently intervene in the ongoing violent protests in the area.
He said residents were unable to leave their homes to go to work because the roads were blocked.
“This is an injustice to the community, which pays very high rates to live in the area. It is also unfair that they have attacked innocent residents, ”he said.
He would be writing to the mayor asking for an urgent response to end the protests.
“It is not our fault that these communities do not provide services. We pay our fees and taxes. We cannot be hostages in our own homes, ”said Prahladh.
UKZN Faculty of Social Sciences professor Sagie Narsiah said it was unacceptable that after so many years of democracy, residents had to protest to be heard.
“It is clear that local authorities and the government are simply not up to the task on a wide range of issues. This includes corruption, basic inefficiency in their administrations and lack of accountability on the part of councilors, ”he said.
EThekwini Municipality spokesman Msawakhe Mayisela said the city adhered to an open door policy and found that if communities had complaints, they should use dialogue rather than violence.
He said the community was enraged that the City had disconnected illegal electrical connections.
Mayisela said the City was losing millions of rand daily due to illegal connections.
“This is despite the tremendous strides we have made to ensure that the City meets the needs of the poorest of the poor,” he said.
“The City, on numerous occasions, has involved this community in considering moving to other areas. They refused and demanded that the City build houses for them in the area where the huts are, which is impossible and would put lives at risk ”.
He said the huts were built along the banks of a river and were the hardest hit by flooding during the rainy season.
“It is very difficult for the City to deploy infrastructure in the form of water and electricity due to the violence,” he said, adding that it was an uphill battle for the City to even meet with the community, because they stoned vehicles that came anywhere. close to them. The municipality also expressed concern about the looting of the liquor store and the butcher shop, and urged law enforcement to arrest all those responsible.
“We call on all our residents to be patient and follow the correct channels to access basic services and air their complaints,” he said.
Palesa Phili, executive director of the Durban Chamber of Commerce, said they are concerned that hundreds of motorists have been forced to find alternative routes to work yesterday.
He said this action threatened the safety of motorists and other users of the city’s roads.
He added that it also caused traffic congestion and road closures, ultimately affecting business operations throughout the city.
“Our city cannot afford a protest action that will result in further loss of business productivity and negatively affect the city’s investment and tourism profile.
“The prolonged periods of protest will translate into huge losses to our economy,” he said.
“It is also important that law enforcement agencies take immediate action to reduce the risk of damage to public and private property, as well as to safeguard the lives of road users and other citizens.”
The Mercury
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