Virginia Keppler
Pretoria – With only 93 days to go before the start of the 2010 World Cup, residents of Mamelodi-East near Pretoria during violent protests on Tuesday threatened to disrupt the tournament.
They are demanding that the government immediately supply them with houses, electricity, running water and flushing toilets.
“If the government could spend millions of rands and prepare for the World Cup so quickly, it’s a disgrace that people are still living in squalor in squatter camps,” Vusi Nkosi, a resident, said on Tuesday.
“The soccer means nothing to us because we won’t be able to watch it anyway, since we don’t have electricity.
“This time we will fight and toyi-toyi like the ANC taught us.”
Over 6 000 people live in seven squatter camps in close proximity to each other in Mamelodi-East.
Riotous residents have been blockading Tsamaya Road, Hector Peterson Street and Hans Strijdom Avenue with burning tyres and rubbish since 20:00 on Monday.
Live rounds
On Tuesday the police repeatedly tried to disperse the crowd by firing rubber bullets at them and firing live rounds in the air.
Several people were hit by rubber bullets.
Johannes Maheso, police spokesperson, said four men were arrested.
This protest followed similar demonstrations in Hammanskraal, Soshanguve and Brits.
Veronica Mphahlele, a community leader, said the government promised in 2000 that they would be given permanent houses and land of their own.
“It’s 10 years later and we’re still in the same position. All they do is send police to come and shoot at us.”
The residents are accusing council members, the police and the metro police of illegally selling land and houses intended for the poor to enrich themselves.
Land invasion
They recently invaded land in the east of Mamelodi and in Nellmapius, but were soon removed.
Kgaogelo Lekgoro, Gauteng MEC for local governance and housing, said at the time that government is planning to build 5 000 houses over the next three years.
He also admitted that they have a serious backlog because it’s difficult to acquire land.
Absolom Boroto, another community leader, called on Tokyo Sexwale, minister of housing, to meet with them so they can confront him with the proof of all the empty promises over the years.
“We want things to happen now.”
Edwin Smith, director of the University of Pretoria’s Mamelodi campus, said that students were informed by SMS that the campus nearby had been closed due to the protests.
Shops were also closed for the day and vehicles were not allowed to pass certain points.
At the corner of Hans Strijdom Avenue and Hector Peterson Street protesters stole the contents of a Pick n Pay truck. Rocks were thrown at cars from bridges.
On Tuesday afternoon Lekgoro met with community leaders at the Mamelodi-East police station to discuss the problems.