Durban – Residents from the Burnwood informal settlement took to the streets of Durban on Monday morning, demanding better service delivery during a protest which saw them burn tyres and push a shipping container into the road.
According to reports from community policing forums in the area, the protest took place at the Burnwood and Clare roads intersection, in Clare Estate.
A local security company, CLK Protection, shared information about the protest on its social media page, indicating that the protest started at about 5.30am.
IOL spoke to members of the Clare Estate community forum (CEAC) who said the situation was now calm and emergency services were standing by while debris was picked up.
It is alleged that around 50 residents of the Burnwood informal settlement were demanding better toilet facilities. At present they use mobile toilets.
Protesters were seen on video pushing a red shipping container and rolling it until it was in the centre of the road, blocking traffic.
Vincent Chetty, of the CEAC, said that members of the public order police cleared the area of protesters before the Fire Department arrived for mop-up duties.
“We know the protest started very early this morning, we received word of it last night and alerted the relevant authorities. The residents of the informal settlement were demanding better toilets.
“The fire department is still on scene standing by, as well as POP (public order police),” Chetty said.
IOL has contacted the Durban metro police for comment on the situation and is awaiting a response.
IOL