POLICE are on the scene in Diepkloof, Soweto, where hostel dwellers protested in the early hours of Monday morning, 18 March.
The hostel dwellers took to the streets at about 4am in an attempt to block the N1, N12 and Chris Hani Road.
The protest follows concerns raised by residents last week. They said they want proper houses with access to all basic necessities such as water and proper sanitation instead of the bucket systems they're forced to use.
So far, the residents damaged two cars - a JMPD vehicle and another car belonging to the media.
The angry hostel dwellers told Daily Sun that they were tired of their living conditions. They want Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to address service delivery issues, with housing being a pressing matter.
Hostel leader Sibongiseni Khoza said their houses are collapsing.
He said their houses are falling.
"The same houses have been electrified and we're happy and grateful to have electricity after so many years. Now the question: if it rains and the electricity boxes are flooded with water, won't they explode on us?"
Sibongiseni said that as hostel dwellers, they also have a right to privacy and don't want to share rooms with their kids.
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"We deserve some privacy too," he said.
Sibongiseni said they will keep protesting until the government intervenes.
"We won't back down!" he said.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said they received information about the planned protest in Diepkloof on Sunday, 17 March.
"We deployed police since last night to monitor the situation. This morning, we saw a group of people coming out of the hostel and going to the main road, Chris Hani Road, where people started protesting," Masondo said,
Masondo said they had to use rubber bullets to force the crowd back to the hostel.
He said police opened a case of public violence and no arrests have been made yet.
