[Onthebarricades] SOUTH AFRICA: Township rebellion over services in Mamelodi

[Andy]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&art_id=vn20070726030107336C716070&click_id=13&test=1

Poor service delivery sparks riot      Graeme Hosken 
          July 26 2007 at 06:59AM  
     
Several residents complained that their bills ran millions of rands into arrears, even though they had settled them. 

Both protesting groups also voiced their anger over the allocation of RDP houses to people from outside the township.

Screaming and hurling abuse at police and council workers, the protesters said they were furious over the council's empty promises. 

"Every week there's a new excuse why we cannot be given the houses promised to us 11 years ago," said Mamelodi East residents' protest leader Rabasotho Masupha.

They were now demanding the RDP houses they were promised, he said. 

"We are sick and tired of excuses and of watching our houses being given to 'foreigners' and to people from outside Mamelodi. We want our houses and we want them now. We will come back day after day and sit in council offices until we get our homes," he said.

Sanco representatives Andrew Ramashala and Bomba Baloyi said residents were upset over the council's faulty billing system. "There are scores of residents who have paid their bills and settled their debts, yet the council keeps on insisting that they are in arrears."

Ramashala said council workers had disconnected the electricity and water supplies of dozens of homes, despite people providing proof that they had paid their bills.

"We are sick and tired of what is happening and want the council to sort out the billing system. It is ridiculous that residents are punished because of the council's mistakes."

It was impossible to rack up a bill of R6,1-million in a space of months, he said. "If that bill is correct, why are we not getting R6,1-million worth of service delivery?" 

Police tried for three hours to negotiate with the leaders of the demonstrators. When this failed, they told protesters to disperse within 10 minutes. The protesters refused to leave, and heavily armed police charged residents occupying council offices, throwing stun-grenades and firing rubber bullets. 

Police repeatedly opened fire on stone-throwing demonstrators who tried to storm back into the offices.

Police spokesperson Inspector Paul Ramaloko said three people were arrested and charged with public violence. "A police car was damaged, but there was no damage to council property."

A high police presence would be maintained until calm had been restored, he said.


a.. Police use pepper spray to disperse protesters inside the municipal building.

      Hundreds of Mamelodi residents, protesting over rate hikes and poor service delivery, clashed with police after storming a municipal office on Wednesday.

      The running battles began when police - using pepper spray, firing rubber bullets and throwing stun-grenades - forced nearly 300 residents, who had taken control of "Mini-Munitoria", to abandon their stronghold.

      Protesters of Mamelodi East's Phase 1 and 4 informal settlements stormed the municipal offices opposite Solomon Mahlangu Square. They took control of the housing section after "hijacking" a rates hike protest by Mamelodi West residents.

      Mamelodi West residents, under the banner of the SA Civic Organisation (Sanco), were picketing outside the offices over irregularities in the council's billing system, when their protest was taken over.


     

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