HAVOC broke loose in Malamulele between protesters and police during ongoing demonstrations in the Limpopo town on Friday afternoon.
Protesters are demanding their own municipality as they believe the Thulamela Local Municipality and Vhembe District Municipality, which the Malamulele community falls under, is giving them inferior services. Protesters have brought services to a lock down for a whole month.
A task team has been assembled to work with the Municipal Demarcation Board and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to address their grievances.
Police fired rubber bullets at protesters in the area, who fought back with bricks. When news emerged that the MDB would not allow them to have their own municipality, protesters began burning tyres on the road.
Police intervened with fire of rubber bullets when protesters threw bricks in their direction.
Before the violence started, community member Doctor Masango said they were protesting for better services.
“We have seen that people are not getting proper services. We think government can definitely help us. They tell us they can’t control the Municipal Demarcation Board because it is a chapter nine institution.
“Since when does the government listen to chapter nine institutions anyway? Public Protector is a chapter nine institution but they don’t listen to her,” Mr Masango said.
Those leading the protests action wore t-shirts which read “100% Malamulele Municipality, No Delaying Tactics”. Protesters set an ANC shirt alight before burning tyres.
Sydney Nobe said if government did not grant Malamulele its own municipality, the ANC could no longer call the community its own.
