Mpumalanga marred by intense protest action

A call to motorists to avoid the R40 via Dwarsloop to Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga at all costs has been emphasised by SAPS after protesters set the Dwarsloop Civic Centre alight, burnt several vehicles, looted shops, and blocked the highway, reports Letaba Herald.

Photo supplied.

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A reliable source told the Letaba Herald that protests were expected to continue at least until Friday.

Sporadic blockades were set up on the main road from Tuesday.

On Wednesday, protest action spread and criminal elements seem to have hijacked the protests.

Some of the burnt-out car wrecks at the Dwarsloop Civic Centre near Bushbuckridge can be seen here. At least eight, but probably up to twenty vehicles were burnt when the centre was set alight by protesters and criminals earlier this week. Photo supplied.

Community members in the area expressed their disappointment with the police, who seem unable to control the chaotic situation.

“There is a big police presence on the outskirts, but nothing where the actual protests are.

“They are either unwilling or incapable of controlling the protesters and the criminals,” Alfred Mathebula, a local businessman told the Letaba Herald.

Photo supplied.

Mathebula runs a small business transporting goods from Acornhoek via Bushbuckridge to Nelspruit. “We have protests virtually every month now and my business just cannot survive. Five people will lose their jobs and up to 40 people will be without a breadwinner,” Mathebula said.

Another businessman from Acornhoek, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Letaba Herald that criminal elements take control of the protests and abuse the situation for their own agenda.

“My business is on the verge of closing down because of all the riots. They don’t care. Neither does the government. What really irritates me is that the majority of these idiots will again vote for the ANC on May 8. Innocent people suffer and are inconvenienced due to these actions. Why can’t the police stop them?” an irate resident said.

A large area was blocked off by the police after a number of trucks were torched. Unconfirmed reports allege that drivers and loading staff were assaulted and several small businesses were looted and robbed. Despite several inquiries, SAPS could not confirm any arrests or an action plan to curb the protests, or at least the violence.

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