SOCIAL UNREST
Protests over service delivery intensify
Jacob Zuma has come under pressure after a cabinet reshuffle saw finance minister Pravin Gordhan dismissed, triggering national protests
Protesters demanding better housing clashed with police in Johannesburg townships for the fourth day running on Thursday, raising the pressure on President Jacob Zuma’s government to deliver social services. Police fired teargas to disperse crowds in Ennerdale township, in the south of Johannesburg, after residents blocked roads with rocks and burnt tyres. Some schools and businesses were closed due to the protests. The government urged residents to stop the violence, intimidation and looting while pushing their demands. "The law will reign at the end of the day," Police Minister Fikile Mbalula said. "What has a protest for housing got to do with people closing down shops and looting shops? It’s got nothing to do with that ... it’s criminality." The latest bout of protests kicked off in Ennerdale and nearby Eldorado Park townships on Monday. On Wednesday, residents of an informal settlement in Laudium, west of Pretoria, staged demonstrations demanding that electricity be installed i...
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