Tswaing Local Municipal Offices at Delareyville in the North West , were set alight, by angry community members.
The incident happened, minutes after the African National Congress (ANC) press conference held in Mahikeng, in which the ANC claimed that, the current violent protests gripping the province, are orchestrated by those opposed to North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo.
Protesters across the province are calling for the premier to step down, blaming him for the many service delivery challenges facing the province and many allegations of fraud and corruption in government departments.
Destruction of property and barricading internal roads has now become a common practice by protesters.
“The community came in two entrances of the traffic office and others came on the other entrance of the municipality while the other ones distracted the security guards there. The other one came in traffic and started to torch the traffic offices,” says an eye witness Ntesang Theletsane.
The local fire department is dysfunctional, however, local farmers came to the rescue.
“We are group of citizens or people who stay in town and were trained a little bit and also the farmers to extinguish the fire so everybody comes if there is a problem then we are able to react and bring the solution” says Leon Moolman, a local farmer.
The towns of Christiana and Bloemhof are also no exceptions to the current protests, sweeping across the province.
During the protests, foreign nationals are targeted. Their shops are attacked and looted. Such acts have been roundly condemned as criminal.
Lekwa Teemane Local Municipality mayor, Kagiso Palagangwe says these incidents are criminal.
“This is a criminal act and that is my response to that. People must not shift the goalpost. We are fully aware that as it is happening in the whole of province. There is a certain element that are also instigating these criminals.”
Provincial education authorities are appealing to parents to allow their children to return to school.
Since the eruption of violent protests in Mahikeng, last Wednesday, schooling has been disrupted in many areas where protests took place.
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