Residents in Muckleneuk have been left vulnerable and at the mercy of the striking workers, unable to enter or exit their properties due to a strike action by aggrieved Unisa workers.
Yesterday, the strike action became extremely volatile with reports of violence and aggressive confrontations. Residents have tried to engage with the workers but were met with hostility and threats.
The protest started a few weeks ago, with striking workers standing around in groups, singing and chanting. This later escalated to the burning of tyres and barricading of streets using bricks and rocks. See photos here, here, here and here.
Towards the end of last week, the striking workers started to place spikes at the entrance and exits of the campuses.
The striking workers set fire to a gatehouse at a property owned by the university. They also cut down trees in the area to block road users, staff and the local residents from their properties.
The SAPS Vispol Officer from Sunnyside has been a constant presence at the strike and has assisted the DA Councillor by engaging and mediating with both the strikers and the local, aggrieved residents.
The DA has also been monitoring the protest yesterday. Whilst observing the strike action, we noticed that the strikers were trying to get a truck to dump its load of sand on Elandspoort road next to Unisa. The DA then engaged with the Tshwane Metro Police Department to intervene and stop this.
We have also engaged with the DA Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Chantel King MP, and the DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety, Crezane Bosch MPL, requesting them to escalate to the relevant departments for urgent intervention.
The DA strongly condemns these acts of violence and considers the burning of property as arson. This must be taken seriously and action must be taken against those responsible.
The DA will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that no further inconvenience is caused to the residents of Sunnyside.