Vehicles torched in ongoing Westville protest
A GOVERNMENT vehicle and a taxi were torched yesterday by Westville residents who want better service delivery in the small informal settlement near KwaDwesi.
The residents vowed to intensify their campaign until the municipality met their demands.
Their demands include electricity, repositioning of their shacks, and that the municipality make a beneficiary list available to enable them to know whether they are eligible for houses. The protests started on July 20. Since then at least 12 vehicles have been torched, with 18 others stoned on New Mission Road, according to police.
Yesterday, a Corsa sedan and a Toyota Quantum were set alight.
Human settlements political head Nqaba Bhanga condemned the violence and urged the police to take action.
“People must be arrested if they are burning property,” he said.
He will meet the residents next week to discuss their grievances.
“I will then meet the provincial government and a developer,” he said.
Yesterday’s drama unfolded at noon, shortly after residents met with officials from a construction company.
Resident Thembinkosi Nzima said they had been angry after a company official told them they would be relocated and one of the areas did not have water.
“We made it clear to them that we are not moving an inch. We grew up here and everyone knows what our demands are. They can’t tell us something else.”
The residents left the meeting and set tyres alight in the street.
Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge confirmed the two vehicles had then been torched.
“The problem is we cannot station officers there 24 hours a day.
“One minute it appears calm and the police withdraw, but the next day it starts again in a different area,” he said.