Leaders must take responsibility for their actions: Gauteng MMC for Safety

Gauteng MEC of Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane has pleaded with government officials to take responsibility for their actions.

Nkosi-Malobane's comments come as residents of Eldorado Park in the south of Johannesburg staged a protest on Monday‚ which began in the early hours of the morning.

They blocked roads around the area‚ heavily affecting traffic‚ including the N12‚ Golden Highway‚ N1 and Union Road.

"I think we need to be careful as leaders that when we make promises to communities‚ you need to honour those promises.

• Southern areas of Joburg rocked by violent protestsViolent protests broke out in the south of Johannesburg on Monday over the issue of land invasion and evictions by the City of Joburg. 

"These people were promised some farm land and the [leaders] need to come back and give progress. I am therefore requesting Joburg MMC (for Housing‚ Mzobani Ntuli) to come here and give people feedback on at least a monthly basis on how far are they with serving that land‚" she said at the intersection of Eldorado Park and Golden Highway.

Residents of Eldorado Park and Freedom Park are demanding allocation of land as well as houses from the City of Joburg. They have accused Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba of failing to respond to their grievances‚ but his office has denied any knowledge of this.

• Violent clashes erupt in Joburg protestResidents of Freedom Park have accused Johannesburg executive mayor Herman Mashaba of failing to meet their demand for land to build RDP houses. 

During the state of the city address last week‚ the mayor announced that the metro was reaching the end of its audits of the land and buildings owned by the City of Johannesburg with an intention of converting them into low-cost affordable housing for Joburg residents and low-cost rental properties for commercial businesses.

A few residents suffered injuries to their arms and backs when police fired rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. A Times Media photographer‚ Moeletsi Mabe‚ was also hit by a rubber bullet on his head during a stand off with between police and residents.

Several vehicles were also damaged‚ but police visibility has since been increased with a SAPS chopper roaming around the area.