South African demonstrators protesting against government’s failure to keep its electoral promises have hijacked a brewer’s truck and used it to blocked a highway south of the commercial capital Johannesburg.
Police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters on the highway in the Meyerton area who made off with the beer on the truck.
Residents of the Sicelo informal settlement took their protest to the R59 highway which they blocked with burning tyres.
They then parked the hijacked truck across the road and made off with its contents and keys.
Police communications officer Mavela Masondo said they were doing everything possible to clear the highway which was closed during the morning rush hour.
The so-called service delivery protest is South African political parlance for demonstrations against government’s failure to distribute basic resources citizens depend on like water, electricity, sanitation infrastructure, land, and housing.
This has been a commitment of successive African National Congress government since the onset of democracy 24 years ago.
The disruptive action flies in the face of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s promise at various international fora – most lately the G7 in Canada – that South Africa is an excellent investment destination.
Service delivery protests traditionally increase in number and intensity as the winter cold bites in unheated informal settlements.
With elections less than a year away, the ANC, is being careful to use minimum force to contain the demonstrations.