More people arrested in ongoing chaos in Malamulele area

The ongoing chaos in Malamulele is far from over. This follows after more demands by residents of the area for the establishment of their own municipality.

This week, the situation was escalating direly, with almost 20 000 residents burning tyres along the roads which lead to Thohoyandou and Giyani. The looting of shops and government departments has caused chaos in the town. This has led to public transport groups' not entering the area for business.

The town was at a standstill from Monday until the time of our going to press. Residents went on the rampage after a meeting that took place in Polokwane on Monday. A group of rampaging young people allegedly threw stones at the police who were trying to disperse them and continued to loot shops on Tuesday.

Government buildings in the town were set alight on Tuesday and the schools and shops were closed. Limpopo Mirror has learnt that someone was killed by a mob during the rampage after it was established that he had stolen R4 000 from a local spaza shop.

The provincial police spokesman, Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, confirmed the chaos in the town and stated that the police had taken control, following the violence that erupted on Tuesday morning. “The police managed to bring the situation under control. More than 40 suspects have been arrested and more arrests are imminent. Police presence in the area has also been intensified to monitor and defeat any violence that might erupt. The roads leading to the town have been opened, but motorists are warned to drive with caution,” said Mulaudzi.

On Monday, Premier Stanley Mathabatha met with the chairperson of the municipal demarcation board, Mr Mahlangu, to try and resolve the on-going battle for municipal status by the Malamulele community. The meeting was attended by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Ishmael Kgetjepe, the MEC for Safety and Security, Ms Joyce Mashamba, and delegates from the Malamulele Task Team.

According to the statement issued by the premier’s spokesperson, Mr Kenny Mathivha, the task team and demarcation board had urged the Malamulele people to stop the chaos. “A call was made by both the ANC and the Limpopo Provincial Task  Team (LPTT) that Malamulele's people’s tempers must calm down as a political solution is being negotiated with the help of the premier,” says Mathivha.

The meeting established that most documents which the task team had submitted to the demarcation board were either lost or did not reach the intended destination before the cut-off date of 2012. The spokesperson for the Malamulele demarcation task team, Dr Isaiah Ndhambi, could not be reached for comment by the time of going to press.

Meanwhile, Limpopo Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Fannie Masemola has condemned the violence and has sent a stern warning for people not to take the law into their own hands. “When community members have complaints, they must not resort to any violent means and the destroying of property. We will not hesitate to take action to bring the perpetrators to book,” said Masemola.

The  Democratic Alliance (DA) also condemned the situation at Malamulele. In a statement, the provincial leader of the party, Mr Jacques Smalle, says Premier Mathabatha’s “utterances do not help solve the problem, but quell the already irate community to disrespect the law of the country”. He states that the root cause of the protests “is the failure of the ANC-led municipality to deliver basic services to the people”. He urges the premier to show leadership and to address the root concerns of the residents.

Date:18 October 2013

By: Phathutshedzo Luvhengo

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