Police fired rubber bullets and made arrests during a protest at Nana’s Farm informal settlement in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, on Monday morning. Residents blocked the N12 highway to demand access to basic services, including water and electricity.
With nine days remaining before voting day in the local government elections, residents took to the streets to demand urgent intervention from authorities over what they described as years of inadequate service delivery.
Protesters blocked roads using bricks, rocks, wood and burning tyres, disrupting traffic along the N12 and surrounding routes.
Community leader Zweli Buthelezi said residents had been waiting for progress since a meeting with Mlungisi Mabaso, the City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements, in June.
“The MMC attended us in June, Mr Mabaso, then he said he was planning to provide us with water and electricity, but till today we don’t see anything happening. So we decided to take to the streets to remind the government that we are people too,” Buthelezi said.
He said electricity was the community’s most urgent need because residents were forced to walk in the dark, leaving them vulnerable to crime.
“Our priority is electricity because we always walk in the dark and [are] prone to crime. Then water is number two,” he said.
Resident Matshidiso Mongai expressed concern that other townships established after Nana’s Farm had made progress in accessing basic services, while her community continued to struggle.
“We want the councillor to also tell us what is happening because we are in the dark,” Mongai said.
However, not all residents supported the protest. Sikwile Kena expressed concern about its impact on learners, particularly matric pupils writing their final examinations.
“I’m not happy about these protests now. The Grade 12s are writing their important exams and they are being disrupted. It should at least be done at some other time,” Kena said.
N12 Reopens as Police Clear Debris
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) said law enforcement officers had made progress in stabilising the situation and restoring traffic flow.
JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said officers had begun clearing rocks, debris and burnt obstructions from Klipspruit Valley Road (K43) and Abubakar Asvat Drive, with traffic moving slowly along both routes.
“The N12 Freeway: Protesting crowds have dispersed. Public Order Policing (POP) units, alongside JMPD and South African Police Service (SAPS) members, are currently in the final stages of securing and safely reopening the N12 in both directions between K43 and Abubakar Asvat Drive,” Fihla said.
Joint operations involving the JMPD and SAPS remained active in and around the affected area as officers monitored the situation and worked to prevent further unrest.
Motorists were urged to exercise caution while clean-up operations continued. The JMPD warned that residual t
