The community of Mangaung in Bloemfontein says it is not happy that its leaders decided to call off the two-day shutdown before consulting them first.
This comes after an urgent meeting between a provincial government delegation and the shutdown leaders which resolved to call off the action in which a teenager was killed.
Police say the security guard fired shots in an attempt to scare the mob at a warehouse, resulting in the death of the 15-year-old boy, as outlined in the video below:
Mangaung Community Concerned Residents’ leader Themba Zweni has blamed Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thembeni Nxangisa for announcing the outcome of the meeting before concluding consultations with the community.
Zweni says the MEC should have waited for them to meet with the residents first to tell them about the agreement reached in a meeting about the discontinuation of the shutdown.
“[The MEC should have waited …] for the sake of avoiding all that confusion and maintaining unity amongst the residents of Mangaung. I would have to consult [with the community] and release a statement. But at this stage, I must just mention that as the leadership of MCC we are not happy.”
“We apologise to the residents that the MEC has jumped the gun. That’s why I’m saying I have to consult on that one because there are widespread consultations now because tempers are quite high,” explains a community leader.
19 people arrested
Meanwhile, 19 people are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday in connection with this week’s violent shutdown protests in the Manguang Metro.
One of the suspects is a 57-year-old security guard who is charged with the murder of a teenage boy.
Earlier, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC announced that an agreement has been drafted for the parties to work together and address the concerns of the residents.
“Mangaung must function for the people of Mangaung. They must collect refuse, they must ensure that all leakages are attended to speedily. And they must ensure that businesses in Mangaung benefit people of Mangaung and it accounts to job creation of people in Mangaung.”
“We agreed … the team now is addressing the media that all roads are going to be opened, the strike [protest] is over. People must clear all the barricades in the streets from today as we move out. All those things [service delivery] must start happening,” adds MEC Nxangisa.
Residents concerned that protest being taken over by violence, criminal acts:
