SD-BOUND PEOPLE BLOCKED AT LOTHAIR DUE TO PROTEST

MBABANE – People travelling to Swaziland through the Oshoek / Ngwenya border Gate were blocked at Lothair.

Residents of Lothair, South Africa, have engaged in a protest action seeking better service delivery from their government. Infomation gathered from South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) Ligwalagwala FM revealed that residents of the area were burning tyres on the R17 road which links South Africa and Swaziland.
“Residents of Lothair are burning tyres on the R17 road demanding RDP houses and better roads. Schools are closed as pupils have joined the strike,” the report stated.

Vusi Dlamini, who resides in Ermelo but was travelling to Swaziland yesterday, said: “At Lothair, next to the filling station, there are residents there toyi toying. They are burning tyres on the road and blocking traffic towards the country and towards the direction to Carolina and further inland.”
Dlamini further said he had used an alternative route to get to Ngwenya border Gate as the road was blocked and the traffic had piled up extensively. Also sharing Dlamini’s sentiments was a group of miners from the Free State. The 14 miners who were travelling in an Iveco mini-bus said they had arrived at Lothair at about 5am and had been stuck there until 11:30am.

One of the miners, Elvis Shabangu of Mahlangatsha said: “We are from the Free State where we work. We arrived at Lothair around 5am and just got to get through now. The people are burning tyres on the road and had blocked it.”
Joining in was Philani Mashabane. He said they used the Waverley route to get to the border gate. However, he lamented that the alternative route forced them to travel a longer distance.

Worth noting is that the border gate had placed notices for those who were to travel along the blocked route to use an alternative route and avoid being caught in the line of fire.
The notice advised those travelling to South Africa to use the Don Don route which is about 20 kilometres while the blocked route is about 10 kilometres from the border.

Police Public Relations Officer Superintendent Wendy Hleta advised those travelling to the neighbouring republic to heed the advice dispersed by officers. She said the advice was meant to help those travelling to South Africa and their safety as well.

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