SERVICE DELIVERY PROTEST TURNS UGLY! Bulelwa Ginindza
Mpumalanga police have urged residents of Mashishing and Sabie to stop destroying property.
This follows violent service delivery protests which started on Thursday last week.
The residents were demanding water, proper roads and affordable electricity tariffs.
They called for the removal of Mayor Fridah Nkadimeng and accused him of corruption.
The residents allegedly torched a supermarket on Tuesday, 9 March and destroyed business properties in the area. They allegedly set alight municipal offices, damaged an Absa ATM and tried to steal money.
Shops, some belonging to foreigners, were looted and roads damaged.
Residents of Sabie said they were protesting over letters notifying them about outstanding electricity bills. They were told if they don’t pay or make arrangements, their power will be switched off.
Local government is broken but giving the job to residents carries risks thesouthafrican.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thesouthafrican.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In December 2020, the High Court in Mahikeng, the capital of South Africa’s North West Province, made a controversial order after finding that the Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality was in breach of its legal obligations. The municipality had failed to deliver water and sanitation. It had also failed to prevent environmental pollution in the towns of Koster and Swartruggens.
The court issued an interim order that the municipal manager be jailed for 90 days, unless the municipality urgently restored water services and stopped sewage flowing into the local rivers. It also ordered that, unless the municipality acted quickly, a local residents’ association could take control of the water and sewerage systems. The state would then have to pay the residents for doing the municipality’s job.
Covid-19: Mpumalanga s total death toll stands at 1 203 lowvelder.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lowvelder.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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As of Monday, 09 February 2021, the cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 1,477,511 with 1,376 new cases identified, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has confirmed.
183 more Covid-19 related deaths were reported. This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 46,473.