Protesters burn Mpuma library

JENNI O'GRADY

JOHANNESBURG - The library in Balfour’s Siyathemba township went up in flames on Tuesday afternoon during a protest that appears to have shifted from labour recruitment demands to an insistence the local mayor resign.

“They are burning the library down,” said police spokesman Sergeant Sam Tshabalala, on the third day of violence in the Mpumalanga township.

Earlier, police fired rubber bullets when between 800 to 1000 people became “irritated” during a meeting outside the Siyathemba community hall.

Zakhele Maya, who says he is a community leader, told Sapa he had been called to address a large crowd outside the hall, and was then told to go to the mayor’s office and ask him to resign.

However, the mayor, Mabelane Tsotetsi, did not give an immediate answer.

Maya said when he returned to the hall he was told people became “irritated” and started burning tyres and police fired rubber bullets.

Tshabalala confirmed that rubber bullets were fired as people ran away and regrouped. Nobody was injured, he said.

Earlier in the day, people had made pyres of poles Eskom had planned to use in the area. On the previous two days foreigners' shops were looted and a municipal office burnt down.

Mpumalanga’s education MEC Reginah Mhaule pleaded with local residents to allow schooling to continue unhindered. Pupils were preparing to rewrite some of their matric exams. The province got one of the lowest matric pass rates.

“On Thursday, 11 February 2010, the supplementary examinations for grade 12 learners will commence and my view is that every community should be obliged to ensure that school activities progress without any hassle,” Mhaule said in a statement.

“I am making a humble call to the community of Balfour to allow teachers, learners and non-teaching staff to be in schools so that teaching and learning can progress unhindered.”

Maya blamed “criminal elements” for the violence, saying they had actually helped the foreigners remove their merchandise to safety before criminals moved in.

He complained the criminals were detracting from the real issues -- that the local Burnstone Mine hire half its workforce in the local community.

But, Maya said the community had now changed strategy and decided they would for now focus on having the mayor removed.

“People have lost confidence in him,” said Maya.

“These are issues that resonate from the previous service delivery protests Šof last yearÆ. The mayor seems to not assist our people in dealing with the issues.”

A delegation from the co-operative governance ministry was dispatched to the area, but further information on that visit was not immediately available.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA said a service delivery summit was needed to resolve the issues that communities such as Balfour were trying to raise.

However, they condemned the targeting of foreigners.

Twenty two people were expected to appear in the Balfour Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday to face charges of public violence related to the protests. Police expect to make more arrests.

The protests come two days before the state of the nation address by President Jacob Zuma, who visited the area last year during similar protests.

- Sapa