The trucks were set ablaze after community members blocked the R40 and R71 with rocks, tree branches and burning tyres. It is alleged that the protest escalated after the civil rights group, Ba-Phalaborwa Concerned Members (BPCM), was not pleased with the outcome of a stakeholders meeting held at Sefapane Lodge on Wednesday.

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The gathering was attended by the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, the Mopani District Municipality (MDM) led by Executive Mayor Pule Shayi, the BaPhalaborwa Community Forum (BCF), and traditional authorities. The meeting was held to alleviate the tension between the BCF and the BPCM who have been at loggerheads after the chairperson of the BPCM, Edwin Malatji, accused the BCF of no longer putting the needs of the local community first.

BCF is the middleman between community members and companies that are based in Phalaborwa, they help locals get employment through the different stakeholders. According to Malatji, he was not pleased when Shayi recommended that the two parties bury the hatchet. “The community is supporting the BPCM, as the BCF has been failing them,” he said. Malatji denied having any involvement in the burning of the trucks. “The BPCM and BCF both reported back to their supporters regarding the outcome of the meeting, and the people were not happy.

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I never instructed anyone to burn anything. “We have been protesting for months now and it has never been violent,” he told the Herald. The MEC of Health in Limpopo, Dr Phophi Ramathuba has condemned the burning of the Dr Maphuta Malatji Hospital’s vehicle which was dedicated to transporting renal patients due for dialysis. “This is not just a demonstration of self-hate, but both witchcraft and acts of criminality.

We call upon responsible citizens to assist the police and arrest all those responsible for this barbaric act. Renal patients requiring regular dialysis risk losing their lives if they don’t receive dialysis,” said Ramathuba. Odas Ngobeni, spokesperson for MDM, said the Shayi is disappointed by the violence. “He will deliver the final report to the local mayor this week, which will guide her in terms of implementation and monitoring. This report will be incorporating the inputs from the stakeholders he interacted with through a series of engagements,” he concluded.