Scores of people across several communities in the Overstrand region gathered in protest on Thursday to highlight their grievances over service delivery and other concerns at their respective municipal offices. 

Residents in Kleinmond, Gansbaai, Stanford and Hermanus marched to municipal offices as part of what has been described as a five-day protest set to conclude on Monday. 

The Overstrand Municipality recorded around 600 protesters in Gansbaai alone, with further demonstrations taking place simultaneously in the other towns. 

Among the protesters’ demands are lower municipal costs, reliable basic services for informal settlements, land allocation for small-scale farmers and for taxis to operate as sole providers of school transport. 

In a notice issued on 11 February, the municipality said it was aware of planned marches from 12 to 16 February. 

“Security Cluster agencies will be working closely together to minimise any disruption.” 

The municipality also cautioned participants in the protest action to remain calm.  

“A protest is only protected if it remains peaceful and unarmed; however, if protesters block roads, intimidate workers, prevent people from going to work, or damage property, they are interfering with others’ constitutional rights, and at that point, the protest is no longer fully protected, allowing law enforcement to intervene.” 

Road closures were reported in parts of Kleinmond, including the R44 and several local streets, while one lane was temporarily closed in Gansbaai as protesters moved from Masakhane towards the central business district. SAPS and municipal law enforcement were deployed to monitor the situation. 

The protest was organised by The Land Party, which on Friday thanked all the communities in the Overstrand that came together for the demonstration.