Angry Residents in Orange Farm take the Golden Highway to demand basic services

Monday 12 May 2008 by Ahmed

THERE IS NO PEACE WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT

More than 1500 residents organised by the Orange Farm Water Crisis Committee took to the streets in the early hours of Monday morning, 12 May 2008, to blockade traffic on the Golden Highway. Police opened fire with rubber bullets injuring at least seven demonstrators

Angry Residents in Orange Farm take the Golden Highway to demand basic services

The residents of Orange Farm Driezek Extension 5 took to the streets in protest for speedy service delivery in the area following a year-long silence from the local ward councilor. More than 1500 residents took to the streets in the early hours of Monday morning, 12 May, declaring that there is no peace without development. The police were again let loose on the demonstration, firing rubber bullets and beating protestors. More than seven community members were injured.

It is for the second time that the community of Orange Farm is taking to the streets. On the 6th of September 2007, residents blockaded the Golden Highway when patience was a burden too heavy to bear. Tyres were burned to barricade the road and the angry residents demanded that their grievances be addressed by the relevant authorities. Another main demand was the resignation of the ineffective ward councilors.

Last year, the local ward councilor Meisie Msimango gave a report that plans were afoot for the installation of electricity in the community. Because she doesn’t own ESKOM, the councillor said she would try to negotiate with the City of Johannesburg instead to address the issue of installing electricity in the area. But again this effort fell flat and the community has again been left to be disappointed.

The community is continuing with its campaign by fighting for access to electricity, water, health, education and adequate housing. The only coverage of this story appears to be by SAPA which reports none of the views of the protestors. May it not simply be by wrote that the protestors started throwing stones at the police. For information not from the police force’s mouth, please contact: the Orange Farm Water Crisis Committee, Bricks Mokolo @ 072 1758 948 or APF organizer, Silumko Radebe @ 011 333 8334