WATERVAL BOVEN – Mpumalanga police are accused of shooting dead a teenager during the continuing service delivery protest in this community.
A reliable source accused the police of using live ammunitions in dispensing the protesters who had been showing their dissatisfaction for weeks now. “The victim died of a gunshot wound which runs across from the left rib to the right rib ” said a source.
It is supposed that the death of the victim had caused much chaos and unrest in the area. “The situation had just deepened the anger of the community, who initially were protesting against the lack of service delivery in the area and demanded a meeting with Emakhazeni Executive mayor . The protesters are complaining that the water pipe to Waterval Boven and Emngwenya is dirty, that rubbish heaps are defacing the area and that the rates they pay are too high for the level of service they receive from Emakhazeni Local Municipality.
They also complain of the municipal waste management which rarely collect litter in the area. , there is totally no service delivery here. “Litter is barely collected, I’ve been living with soiled pampers in my yard for over two month, with no municipal waste trucks to collect litter here. We needed the mayor of Emakhazeni Local Municipality to come and address us on issues of service delivery in this area, but he had failed in doing so for numerous times now” added the source.
The community also blamed the executive mayor for dragging his feet in addressing issues of this community. “If only the mayor came here, the first time this protest started we wouldn’t had reach this stage, one wonders how he feels now that an innocent blood had been shed and that schools had been disrupted due to the ongoing strike,?
SAPS provincial spokesperson Sgt Gerald Sedibe confirmed that there was a shooting yesterday and is on his way to the area. More details from the police will follow later.
