Protesters bring Pelican Park traffic to a stop
VIOLENT protests erupted in Pelican Park yesterday over poor housing conditions and service delivery in the area.
Protesters brought traffic to a halt and burned tyres and stoned cars.
Cape Town’s traffic services’s Richard Coleman said: “Due to protest action in the Pelican Park area, we’ve got Strandfontein Road which is closed between Fifth Avenue and Spine Road. We’ve also got Strandfontein Road and Olieboom Road which is closed. We ask motorists to please be cautious when in the area.”
“All I know is that Phumlani Village is protesting about housing and service delivery, The protest was very violent and It is expected to carry on,” resident Ursula Williams said.
City of Cape Town law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said police were continuing to maintain a strong presence. “We will only start deploying more staff if the situation becomes more violent but for now we have sufficient people.”
By late yesterday, the city began mop up operations.
The residents had a long list of complaints for their ward councillor to take to the council, among them a lack of adequate sewage and waste removal. There are only three toilets in Phumlani Village servicing 20 families. They no longer flush and have become blocked, with waste spilling out.
The ward councillor could not be reached for comment because of a council meeting in the city.