Riots Over Water Cuts

Photo retrieved from: www.clearlyliving.com

“Hardly 20 days after the local government elections, voters from Pienaar outside Nelspruit are accusing the ANC of failing them by allowing the community of about half a million people to go without water for more than a week.

Angry members of the community burnt tyres and blockaded the streets with several objects including stones from Sunday afternoon until the early hours of Monday morning.

Members of the public order police unit had a tough time trying to control the stone-throwing community members, who also burnt a number of tyres at the crossroads in Lehau Trust near the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.

Lehau Trust forms part of the Greater Pienaar area and violence escalated towards other parts like Daantjie shortly after 6pm on Sunday, preventing motorists from passing through KaNyamazane or KaBokweni townships.

“Our members were forced to fire rubber bullets to disperse the crowds that was burning tyres, blockading the road, throwing stones and other objects,

and threatening people,” said a police spokesperson who was at the scene, Lt-Col Mtsholi Bhembe.

By yesterday morning, Bhembe told The New Age, no injuries were reported by police or community members.

A member of the community shouted that they wanted the new executive mayor of Mbombela municipality, Catherine Dlamini, to come and address them.

Dlamini later arrived in the company of several managers from Mbombela municipality as well as the head of security in the provincial government, Welcome Nkuna.

Although the mayor told the community leaders that their problem was being addressed, no common ground was found.”

Read more: The New Age