Chaos in Kirkwood as residents continue to protest

Johannesburg - An ANC office, municipal building and fire truck were all set alight during protests in Kirkwood on Tuesday.

Warrant Officer Basil Seekoei told News24 that the situation was calm and one person had been arrested. Police were also expecting to make more arrests.

Seekoei urged motorists to use alternative roads and members of the public to avoid the town's central business district.

Burnt tyres and wood were strewn along the town's main roads.

The protests began in the early hours of Tuesday morning, he said.

Rubber bullets were used to disperse the crowd.

"There were splinter groups and we had to control all of them simultaneously."

Police were monitoring the situation. No arrests had yet been made.

Seekoei said the protest was linked to residents' unhappiness with the municipality and service delivery.

Local resident Jannie Botha told News24 that residents were protesting over water cuts that had lasted for about three weeks.

He could not confirm that the residents were from Moses Mabhida township, which was about 5km away.

Democratic Alliance MPL Vicky Knoetze said the Sunday's River Valley municipality had written off R84.5m for irregular expenditure.

The municipality could not be immediately reached for comment.