Protesting residents of Alexandra who marched to Sandton on Monday morning said they do not want Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba to address them any longer. They are now turning to President Cyril Ramaphosa for help. 

"We have given up on Mashaba," ANC ward councillor Adolph Marema said. "We are leaving and returning to Alex. The president must address the plight of the people living in Alexandra," he said.

Ndivhoniswani Lukhwareni, Johannesburg City Manager, first attempted to speak to the approximately 200 protesters but the crowd would have nothing of it. They demanded that Mashaba be present to receive their memorandum outside the local municipal offices in Sandton. 

The beleaguered city manager told the media on the sidelines that Mashaba intends to address the Alexandra community in two stages.

"He will first meet with the leadership and then with the broader community at large on Monday, April 15 in Marlboro at 18:00," he explained.

After speaking to the media, security personnel escorted Lukhwareni to the city's regional office.

Mashaba has been accused by the Alexandra residents of prioritising more affluent suburbs at the expense of poorer areas.