The
‘’Gatvol’’ Movement is protesting on Monday to highlight the plight of backyard
dwellers on the Cape Flats.
This
is the second time the movement is holding a ‘’shutdown’’. According to them,
no solution was given, with the previous shutdown, to better the lives of the
backyarders.
‘’The
memorandum we handed over has been blatantly ignored. The Backyarder Summit has
only resulted in meetings upon meetings with the Human Rights Commission and
City of Cape Town officials which also never amounted to anything.”
Various
major roads were affected on Monday morning including the N1, N2, N7 and R300,
as protests took place in Delft, Bishop Lavis, Lwandle, Eerste River,
Kraaifontein, Steenberg, Bellville, Mitchells Plain, Mamre, and Atlantis.
Executive
Mayor of Cape Town Plato said it was ‘’unacceptable and opportunistic to both
announce and proceed to close off major routes, vandalise infrastructure and
prevent residents from going about their daily business.’’
Plato
added that the planned protest is ‘’criminality that must be stopped in its
tracks.’’
Western
Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said five people were
arrested in Steenberg and on Jakes Gerwel Drive in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town
after protesters burnt tyres and barricaded roads, as well as throwing of
stones on Monday morning.
Meanwhile,
Metrorail Western Cape has suspended its limited train service for Monday.
Acting Regional Manager, Raymond Maseko, says this is a safety precaution for
commuters. ‘’Based on the possible risk to lives and essential infrastructure,
management has decided to suspend the service until the situation normalises.’’
The City of Cape Town’s
Solid Waste Management Department has also suspended city-wide refuse
collection services and has closed all City drop-offs on Monday, following the
protest.
Done By: Mitchum George
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