Engineering News

Hillbrow protesters have vowed to continue their campaign against Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba over the collection of rubbish in the city, despite arrests.

On Thursday morning, protesters marched in Wolmaraans Street and burnt barricades of trash, causing serious traffic delays.

"We want to lay charges; we want to launch a criminal case against Mashaba," protest organiser Masindi Mmbengwa told News24.

"Three of our participants were arrested. The police said they are being charged with public violence, but we haven't even seen the docket yet," Mmbengwa added.

There were delays on Wolmaraans, Smit and Blanket streets in Hillbrow as protesters burnt barricades of trash, following claims that there were no Pikitup services for inner city residents.

'WHEN YOU GO TO SANDTON, IT IS CLEAN'
Mmbengwa accused the mayor of neglecting the rights of people in the area.

"For the past four weeks, Mashaba, there were no Pikitup trucks to collect the garbage. It's become a problem for us and that makes people to go outside and empty the bin."

He charged that services were limited in poorer areas of Johannesburg, and accused Mashaba of playing favourites with certain areas.

"We are going to continue because when you go to Sandton, it's clean. The people who are staying here, they are not white, they are African.

"If it was Sandton and one white person makes a call, they [refuse services] would be there. But not here, because they are African," Mmbengwa added.

On Wednesday, the waste company said it had started to clean up areas in Johannesburg that were affected by a rubbish collection backlog.

"Processes [were] in place to see how we could absorb some of these contract workers into Pikitup. The processes took too long, and their contracts ended. So we had to use limited staff to clean in certain areas," said representative Muzi Mkhwanazi.

Mmbengwa threatened legal action against the mayor.

"We have a basic right to health; the garbage must be picked up. Mashaba is technically a criminal because he did not collect the garbage."

JMPD officers and police responded to the protests and the roads were cleared shortly afterward.