A sizeable protest on the N14 highway approaching the R55 is affecting Centurion residents‚ as demonstrators burn tyres and set up barricades.
TrafficSA advised motorists to avoid the area.
Motorist Shaun Nel meanwhile said his vehicle had been stoned by protesters on the N14 highway: between the Pretoria West and Diepsloot exits.
https://twitter.com/TrafficSA/status/1017610305860460544
Traffic alert. Fri 13th Jul2018.06h30
Protestors blocked N14 at R55@EWNTraffic @jaca_traffic @KayaTraffic @SAPoliceService @Abramjee @TrafficSA @_ArriveAlive
Avoid N14 and R55 in Olivenhoutbosch area. pic.twitter.com/HezxHeSJIm— GTP Gauteng Traffic Police (@GTP_Traffstats) July 13, 2018
N14 blocked. Stoned our car. @Lanseria_Int @Radio702 #protest what is happening?
— Shaun Nel (@ShaunNel) July 13, 2018
N14 protest action. Protesters on bridge throwing burning material and rocks on to cars in the N14 pic.twitter.com/Ne9LJF15dV
— Ziks (@b_popzy) July 13, 2018
R55 road closed due to strike.
A few shots have been fired to try to disperse the angry crowd who keep turning cars away. Both exists at Olievenhoutbosch closed. 😫😩 pic.twitter.com/flHmOrjyIa— #CapeToCairo (@Calandray13) July 13, 2018
Protest action in Olievenhoutbosch & R55 Road is closed @TrafficSA
— STANLEY_MANGANYE ⚪ (@STANLEYMANGANYE) July 13, 2018
Protest on the N14#702Breakfast pic.twitter.com/sxKtI7kHB6
— Veli_Macfallen (@LMacfallen) July 13, 2018
Monitoring group Municipal IQ said service delivery protests in 2018 are at an all-time quarterly record. It measured 101 protests between April and June‚ against a previous record of 73 for the second quarter of 2017.
Karen Heese‚ economist at Municipal IQ‚ said: “Service delivery protests for this year are more than likely to reach a record high; already accounting 9% of all protests recorded since 2004.”
The worst affected province this year has been the Eastern Cape‚ followed by Gauteng‚ with a noticeable uptick in the Western Cape and Free State.
Heese said: “The footprint of protest activity is increasingly evident across a diverse range of communities; from cities to rural areas‚ with the range of issues including growing demands for housing and job opportunities in urban areas to basic services and better governance in smaller municipalities.”
Kevin Allan‚ MD of Municipal IQ‚ said: “Service delivery protests have become a daily feature of South African life with an alarming increase in violent confrontations between protesters and police. As a result‚ the opportunity for communities to engage constructively on grievances is lost and municipalities need to work to ensure that channels for such communication remain accessible and relevant.”
Source: News24
