Cape Times: Residents in fiery protest

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Residents in fiery protest

By Michelle Jones

For the second night in a row, residents of an informal settlement in Gugulethu blocked off a road near the N2, strewing rubbish across its surface and burning tyres in protest at delays in moving them.

Thick black smoke rose into the night sky as bright fires lit up the area around the Europe informal settlement.

Several people were injured when police fired rubber bullets at protesters.

Disgruntled community members had staged a similar protest on Sunday, during which they used portable toilets and refuse to block the on-ramp leading to the N2 near Borcherd’s Quarry Road.

Xolisa Mangaliso, a resident, said that for years people had been promised a move to another area, but were continuing to wait for this.

“This place is not suited for human habitation,” he said.

“The (portable) toilets they have provided for us pose more of a health risk.”

Residents were expected to meet their ward councillor, Gladstone Ntamo, yesterday to air their grievances.

Ntamo could not be reached last night to confirm whether this meeting had taken place.

He had told the Cape Times before that residents were frustrated about the delay in moving them.

He said residents had met Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela in February and demanded that they be moved.

Madikizela had promised residents they would be moved when a suitable, developed area was found, Ntamo said.

“The people now think that the minister is just giving a lot of promises. They are tired of promises.”

Ntamo said the area was a “rubbish tip” and had been declared unsafe for habitation by city health and environment officials.

* This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on August 10, 2010