The Roodepoort CBD protest has caused a nightmare for motorists on Thursday, with several roads closed off due to the unrest.
Roodepoort CBD protest: Road closures on Thursday, 11 August 2022
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), working in tandem with South African police’s public order division, and road traffic officials, have been monitoring spurts of unrest in some parts of the Roodepoort CBD area, since the wee hours of Thursday.
At the time this article was published, videos showed officers in the process of clearing key routes but, according to JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla, these roads in the Roodepoort CBD are still deemed no-go zones:
- Dumat Street (roads in and around Roodeberg Avenue, Olivia Street and Albertina Sisulu Road (R24) could be affected).
- Mare Street (unrest could affect access to Gustav Street, entrance to Randfontein Road).
- Van Wyk Street (roads in and around Roodepoort Post Office and shopping district near Sunshine Plaza could be affected).
- Miles Stoker Road (key entrance to Randfontein Road).
- Randfontein Road is accessible but expect heavy delays.
At this time, law enforcement authorities have yet to issue a formal statement providing real-time updates on the situation on the ground.
Why are Roodepoort residents protesting?
Making it in and out of Roodepoort has been a tense effort for workers. While no reports of violent clashes have surfaced, law enforcement units have sustained a heavy presence in the West Johannesburg suburb.
According to JMPD’s Fihla, it’s believed the Roodepoort CBD protest is led by illegal occupiers who are picketing against imminent eviction from the Tshedzani flats.
Moreover, per News24, City Power officials have delayed repair work to restore electricity in areas of Roodepoort due to the ongoing protest. According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, at least 40% of the depot service areas remain without electricity.
“This, unfortunately, means repair work will be affected, as we won’t be able to attend to outages calls or do any work in the area until it is safe to do so,” he said.
The Roodepoort CBD protests were still ongoing at the time this article was published.
