A road blockade in Marlboro, during the early hours of 19 / 6 / 2019 – Photo: Riot and Attack Info SA / Twitter
A road blockade in Marlboro, during the early hours of 19 / 6 / 2019 – Photo: Riot and Attack Info SA / Twitter
The demonstrations which gripped Alexandra – the biggest township in Gauteng – have flared up once again this week. The Alex Shutdown began late on Tuesday evening, and have carried on through the night.
More roads in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg are being blocked by protesters. Police are out in their numbers monitoring the area. #AlexShutdown #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/pbnz8tO3VL
— Sashin Naidoo (@Sashinn007) June 19, 2019
The Gautrain station at Marlboro was also targeted, with debris forming a blockade near the entrance. That has since been cleared by authorities in Johannesburg, but there are still several issues to resolve on Wednesday.
It’s believed that the issues raised by the community are the same messages they delivered back in April. The Alex Shutdown movement remain dissatisfied with the housing and overcrowding situation in the settlement.
Demonstrators have seen no progress in the past two months since Cyril Ramaphosa came to Alexandra and addressed residents. Illegal structures still remain in place, with more shacks being built on the sly.
Update: Large police presence in and around #Alexandra ahead of the demonstration, so far some residents have started to walk to their workplaces due to taxi suspension by operators. Protesters not seen at hotspots #AlexShutdown
— Cliff the Reporter (@CliffShiko) June 19, 2019
The shutdown is expected to intensify over the course of the day. The previous set of protests lasted for weeks, only calming before the 2019 Elections. However, six weeks after voting, patience has run thin in Alexandra.
#AlexShutdown . Residents of Alexandra have started burning Tyres ahead of the Shutdown. EN pic.twitter.com/Z9VS96XHV1
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) June 19, 2019