Malamulele “freedom” is nigh, but at a cost

The volatile situation of the previous week at Malamulele returned to normal last Tuesday.

This follows the intervention of Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha, who succeeded in calming down the angry protestors. This has not come cheaply as damage caused in the township is estimated at R45million.

The worst of the protests took place on Monday. When leaders were busy addressing the community, a certain group went on the rampage, burning cars, looting shops and setting government offices alight. The angry youths fought the police, who fired rubber bullets to disperse them.

Mathabatha met community structures and called on them to stop the anarchy and the vandalising of property. He added that the reasons of the community for demanding an own municipality were plausible.  Mathabatha said he was going to treat the matter as a matter of urgency and was to discuss the issue with the Demarcation Board.

He said he would communicate with the people of Malamulele by the end of the week to inform them what the Board said.

Limpopo SACP chairman Gilbert Kganyago said the SACP in Limpopo supported the people of Malamulele in their demands, but condemned the damage to property and looting. “For the past years, Thulamela has been unable to deliver satisfactory services to the community and its reasons are understandable. The municipality says it is vast and does not have enough resources to service the communities, and for that reason we support their reasons for wanting their (own) municipality,” said Kganyago.

The protest was called off after the meeting on Monday, but after the arrest of people in connection with public violence, young people said the protest was going ahead.

They met and sang outside  the Malamulele police station and demanded the release of those arrested. They were addressed by leaders Ike Nukeri, Dr Jan Nkuna and Noel Manganyi, who told them the premier had undertaken to solve the municipality issue.

Malamulele Municipality Demarcation Task Team secretary Dr Jan Nkuna hailed the premier’s move. “He is like the father standing up to his children and we are happy with him,” said Nkuna. He said the meeting was very sobering and that he was happy that the premier had addressed the pertinent issues they had discussed with him.

At least 60 people have been arrested and charged with public violence after violence, coupled with damage to property and looting, took place.

Also read:

18 October 2013 - More people arrested in ongoing chaos in Malamulele area

Date:09 September 2013

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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