Road closed as fire and looting picks up again
Sleepless night in Princess Informal Settlements
Residents of the informal settlement set a cargo truck alight, picking up where they left off a week ago.
The incident occurred last night (5 June) when residents blocked off the road with burning tyres. The cargo truck was coming from the direction of Roodepoort CBD and once on Albertina Sisulu Road, it was pelted with rocks. It is believed the truck was transporting mattresses.
The truck driver could not make a U-turn and abandoned the truck. He allegedly ran away from the scene. Residents looted the truck before setting it alight. JMPD and police were called to close off the road and investigate the scene.
The road is still closed as the burning truck is blocking the road. JMPD currently do not have a tow truck to remove it and are searching for its owners to assist.
One of the police members who were on the scene believes that the protests are not about service delivery anymore but has become sheer criminality.
Read more here: Road closed again after truck set alight on Albertina Sisulu
This is not the first time Albertina Sisulu Road has been closed in recent weeks. Last month, the road was closed when residents torched two trucks, causing the road to be closed for almost two weeks. Residents also went on a rampage, stoning and burning four Metrobuses as well as attacking residential complexes. During the earlier protests, Princess residents said they wanted access to the RDP housing units the Provincial Department of Human Settlements had built but failed to allocate.
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