The Hibberdene protests have turned violent, on Tuesday.
Hibberdene protests: What are residents demanding?
As reported by The Witness, morning peak traffic in parts of the South Coast in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) was heavily backlogged due to the unrest in Hibberdene.
While law enforcement officials were on the scene attempting to clear the road on the N2 and R102 highways, very little could be done to stop protesters from setting up barricades on the often busy interchanges.
KZN – #Hibberdene #Protesting (Update): AVOID travel through the area pic.twitter.com/l8AKdMjjJb
— Rob Beezy (@TrafficSA) July 6, 2021
At this time, no civic organisation has come forth to claim responsibility for the violent protests. However, according to police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele, Hibberdene residents have seen this as a last resort to get the municipality’s attention on their cries about water shortages in the region.
“They are complaining about the shortage of water supply in the Umzumbe area. The police are monitoring the situation,” she said.
Watch: Trucks looted, roads barricaded in South Coast
As a means to draw attention to their disgruntlement, residents blocked off all access to the only highway routes that connect Durban to Port Shepstone, a crucial access point for many businesses.
While the motivation for the protests is related to service delivery issues, a common fixture in South Africa, there have been elements of criminality observed in Tuesday’s demonstrations.
A Spar freight truck was targeted by an unknown consortium of looters who made off with goods. The incident was captured on camera by an eyewitness.
Here is footage of the looting:
KZN – #Hibberdene #Protesting pic.twitter.com/IChcSkMMhu
— Rob Beezy (@TrafficSA) July 6, 2021
At the time this article was published, the protest action had not simmered down. Motorists have been advised to try and avoid the N2 and R102 highways until law enforcement manage to assume control of the situation.
This is a developing story.