Pretoria - Residents in Gomora informal settlement in the west of Pretoria have threatened to intensify their protest should the City of Tshwane fail to heed to their service delivery demands, which include installation of electricity.
Their threats were made after almost a week-long strike, which disrupted business activities and service delivery in the neighbouring suburb of Hercules.
Protesters barricaded the roads intersections with burning tyres and rocks, calling for the municipality to address their problem of impassable roads and shortage of water and electricity.
Tensions had subsided on Saturday when the Pretoria News visited the area.
The atmosphere was markedly different from the hostility that prevailed from Tuesday until Friday when the SAPS and metro police had their hands full in an effort to quell the protest.
Speaking to the Pretoria News, residents vowed to step up the demonstrations today should they not receive a formal commitment from the municipality to attend to their demands.
Community members said they only heard from the police that the municipality wanted to find solutions to their issues.
They claimed that no one from the municipality had talked to them, saying they intended to send their representatives to meet with their councillor to get clarity on proposed developments for their area.
One of their leaders, Tlotlo Mello, said she could not rule out the possibility of striking again.
“We have chosen some of the community leaders to go and meet with the Ward 55 councillor at Tshwane House on Monday.
“If the feedback won’t be right we are definitely going to strike again,” she said.
She was not hopeful that the promise by the municipality to address their issues would materialise.
“Last year, they made the same promise that they would come back to us after we embarked on a strike, but they never fulfilled their promise,” Mello said.
She has been living at the informal settlement since 2010 and has not seen any tangible improvement.
Instead, she said, the community acted out of desperation and illegally connected electricity for themselves.
Illegal dumping at the entrance of the settlement was one of the service delivery complaints raised by residents.
Residents also bitterly complained about lack of ablution facility and water supply.
In trying to address the violent protests last week, MMC for Community Safety Grandi Theunissen said: “The issues raised by the Gomora community require an intergovernmental response with the Gauteng provincial government.
“The issues include building schools and clinics, and formalising the area to receive services such as electricity.”
He also promised to engage with mayor Randall Williams and other members of the mayoral committee on the residents’ grievances.
“I would also like to call on the Gauteng provincial government to come on board to address some of the concerns raised by the residents,” Theunissen said.
He said protests caused friction between the protesters and the surrounding residents.
“All in all, this is a very combustible and dangerous situation.
“I would like to reiterate my plea to the Gomora community to engage in productive discussions and to refrain from violent protests and damaging property,” he said.
He said protesters engaged in various acts of criminality by damaging infrastructure and private properties, and blocking intersections citing various grievances.
The DA denounced the use of petrol bombs by the strikers, saying the action was nothing other than terrorist behaviour.
Pretoria News