By Everson Luhanga
Rampant crime, a lack of electricity, and slow community development are some of the many issues that residents of Tembisa’s Vusimuzi section protested against on Wednesday morning.
The residents blocked the busy Andrew Mapheto Drive and several other roads, causing peak-hour traffic jams.
From 4am, over 50 residents carrying sticks, stones, and sjamboks sang and danced, blocking the streets. Some blew whistles to call for more people to join them.
Community leader, Percy Munonoka, said murders, rape, house-breaking, street robberies and hijackings have been on the rise and accused the police of not doing enough to fight crime in the area.
“Police are quick to arrest those who take the law in their hands,” he said. “But they leave people who terrorise innocent residents. They arrest the culprit now, only to be released hours later or the following day.”
He said people in Tembisa resort to taking the law into their own hands because the police are failing them.
Resident Muvhulawa Ramukosi said she was recently robbed at gunpoint.
“After robbing me in the street, they forced me to go to my house, and they ransacked my home, too,” she said.
Another resident, Jeckina Lekalakala, said criminals have also targeted local spaza shop owners.
“One spaza owner was robbed three times. The fourth time, they robbed and killed him. Another one is still in ICU in hospital after he was shot in his shop,” said Jeckina.
Several officials from the Ekurhuleni metropolitan police and SAPS officers from the Tembisa South police station monitored the protest.
Ekurhuleni metro police spokesperson Marie Mashishi said over 300 people gathered on Andrew Mapheto Drive and Nakuru Street to protest against poor service delivery and the high crime rate.
Pictured above: Protesting Tembisa residents.
Image source: Everson Luhanga
