Several protests are taking place around Gauteng on Friday morning. Roads have been blockaded in Pennyville in New Canada near Soweto and in Mohlakeng west of Johannesburg.
Protesting Pennyville residents are preventing people from leaving the area to go to work. They are also preventing learners from going to school. The area is completely shutdown . #PennyvilleShutdown #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/eoC6ck85jp
— Sashin Naidoo (@Sashinn007) April 12, 2019
In De Deur the R28 road has also been blocked with burning tyres by protesters. The N17 in Garankuwa in Pretoria is also barricaded.
Those behind the protests are said to be people who are living in rented flats.
They want to be allowed to own the rental housing units.
Pennyville residents say New Canada Road will be completely blocked off the entire day. They are demanding ownership of the JOSHCO social housing flats they are living in. #pennyvilleprotest #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/2QPFGHLa1V
— Sashin Naidoo (@Sashinn007) April 12, 2019
Gauteng police spokesperson Mavela Masondo says, “We are experiencing protests in some parts of the province. We’ve got protests in Mohlakeng, De Deur, Garankuwa, Pennyville and Bekkersal this morning. We have since dispatched police to monitor these areas.”
Meanwhile, there’s other protests planned by tenants of the Joburg rental housing units. They say the plan of action is to close the roads the whole day.
“I want to own the flat. They said after five years we will own the flats. We want ownership, nothing else,” say tenants.
The tenants are expected to gather in Newtown in Johannesburg on Friday morning before marching to Premier David Makhura’s office to deliver their memorandum of demands.
