CAPE TOWN - A Shoprite truck was been hit by a petrol bomb on Saturday during a protest near Old Faure road and Eerste River road in Mfuleni.
According to Maxine Bezuidenhout from City of Cape Town, the truck was burning in the roadway and all relevant services are on the scene.
Motorists using this route should be cautious and try to find an alternate route.
Bezuidenhout said that tyres were also set alight and were burning on the R300 north bound, this was after the N2 left lane was obstructed.
A number of protests are taking place in the area and vehicles are being stoned, according to the City of Cape Town.
It should be noted that the Delft Main Road is now closed at Stellenbosch Arterial.
According to law enforcement, protestors are stoning vehicles and city staff in Kalkfontein and on Old Faure and Spine road.
A WEEK OF PROTESTS
Yesterday, Eskom was forced to withdrawn its services from various areas in the City owing to volatile protests over land.
The areas include Bloekombos, Wallacedene and Kraaifontein CBD, Khayelitsha, Bardale in Mfuleni, Wesbank in Delft and Kraaifontein.
Provincial Eskom spokesperson Trish da Silva said the ongoing protest action across Cape Town was posing a significant threat to the safety of field operators working in these communities.
“Following the suspension of operations in parts of Khayelitsha and Bardale earlier this week due to violent protests, Eskom has taken the decision to withdraw operations from Bloekombos, Wallacedene and Kraaifontein CBD, as well as Wesbank in Delft on Wednesday.
“In Kraaifontein, staff members managed to escape unharmed when the Eskom-branded vehicle they were travelling in was pelted with rocks during violent protests. Protest action in Wesbank has also forced Eskom to withdraw its operators.”
“The safety of employees is Eskom’s top priority and only when these areas are declared safe, will operations resume,” said Da Silva.
On Wednesday, a truck assisting housing beneficiaries moving from Kanana informal settlement to Forest Village, Eerste River, was looted, set alight and the driver assaulted.
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said a male and two women aged 31, 55 and 64 were arrested in Delft in connection with the truck attack.
Mayco member for human settlements Malusi Booi said the housing projects in Delft and Wallacedene valued at more than R90million were under threat by land invaders.
The City said its fire and rescue services had been targeted three times in 48 hours, resulting in it temporarily withdrawing its Dial-A-Ride service, and electricity and refuse collection to parts of Khayelitsha and Mfuleni.
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