Blade talks tough over road closures
Two paramedics and five truck drivers are in hospital after they were assaulted by protesters near Thabazimbi in Limpopo.
The incident happened along the Northam to Brits road on Wednesday night‚ said Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe.
“Two trucks and an ambulance were torched‚” he said.
“Some truck drivers were forced to off-load sand, which they were transporting, in the middle of the road‚ closing it for motorists to use.”
The police were called to the scene and brought the situation under control. “The assaulted drivers were taken to hospital for medical attention and some are still recuperating there‚” Ngoepe said.
“The estimated damage caused during this incident is over R3-million‚” he added.
Public order police unit was deployed to the scene and were monitoring the situation. No arrests have been made. On Wednesday‚ Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande issued a statement condemning the blockade of roads and burning of property.
He referred to the protest action that affected traffic on the N3 at Van Reenen’s Pass between Harrismith and the Tugela Toll Plaza near Ladysmith; the torching and looting of two cargo trucks and the blockading of the N2 between Mtubatuba and Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal; and the blocking of the road using earth-movers by eThekwini municipal workers at Springfield Park in Durban.
Meanwhile in Alexandra‚ north of Johannesburg, protesters burnt tyres and restricted travel between the London Road and Marlboro‚ creating heavy backlogs from the Gillooly’s Interchange.
In a separate incident on the R59 near Meyerton in the Vaal, protesters closed the road‚ protesting over housing.
“Any person who blocks roads and conducts a criminal act will be charged and prosecuted‚” Nzimande said.
He called on protest organisers to ensure that they use “government platforms of engagement provided by our constitution and laws to raise their concerns”.
“I want to reiterate government’s call that any legitimate concern that communities have‚ should be raised in a nonviolent manner and in line with the laws of our country.
“Any criminal acts‚ in the form of violence‚ destruction of state and private property‚ looting and the blockading of the road under the pretext of service delivery protests‚ will not be tolerated.”