Residents vent anger on public road
This was due to the community being unhappy that the Limpopo government had still not delivered on its promise to tar the road.
STEELPOORT – The community of Ga-Mampuru again wreaked havoc this week by blockading the R555, setting two trucks, a bus and several cars alight in the process.
Angry residents also barricaded the D1392 to Ga-Mampuru and the D24484 to Eerstegeluk with burning tyres and stones.
This was due to the community being unhappy that the Limpopo government had still not delivered on its promise to tar the road. It was the second time that these protesters had blockaded these roads and prevented people from going to work at the surrounding mines and businesses.
According to Mr Jandre Stander of Phoenix K9 and Mounted Security Squad, they have assisted police and deployed security guards at the scene. “The protesters are violent and have thus far set two trucks alight with petrol bombs.
They are targeting the R555 everywhere and lots of vehicles are being damaged.” The protesters burnt a Reinhardt and an Apolo brick truck on Monday morning about three kilometres from the Lydenburg/Kalkfontein turn-off.
On Tuesday morning Stander informed the community on the Polsec Lydenburg WhatsApp group that the SAPS had sent two Nyala vehicles and a double-cab bakkie to set up a roadblock on the R555 at the Steelbridge and Stofberg roads.
“They were stopping all the vehicles travelling towards Steelpoort as they had information that community members from Ga-Mampuru who was taking part in the unrest, were on their way to block the road.”
Limpopo SAPS communications spokesman, Lt Col Ronel Otto, told the newspaper that the situation was not yet under control.
“We are, however, monitoring the situation which is still very tense at the moment. The protesters pop up in small groups all along the road. Up to date, no suspects have been arrested and no one has been injured during the uproar.”
Addressing hundreds of strikers of Ga-Phasha and Ga-Mampuru villages in March, Limpopo premier, Mr Stan Mathabatha, promised that the tar road was a priority.
“This road is one of the so-called bimodal roads. It has been a while that people have been complaining about this road. Now it is on top of our list,” Mathabatha said at the time.
Protesters, however, felt that this was just empty promises and wanted to force the province to give heed to their complaints. On Tuesday night they forced a Mega bus to a halt, demanded the occupants to get out and set it alight.
No one sustained injuries. The community warned all bus companies not to be operational.
Meanwhile Limpopo MEC for public works, roads and infrastructure, Mr Jerry Ndou, announced on Wednesday that the province’s roads would receive a major upgrade over the next three years. He also hinted at the upgrades of the roads in Steelpoort.
“Among the projects to be rolled out is the completion of the Ga-Mampuru Phasha road that connects Ga Mampuru, Phasha, Ga Malekane to Molekela in the Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM). Contractors began tarring the road in 2011 but the job was never completed.
“The Ga-Mampuru Phasha road is a critical bimodal road that also caters for freight passenger traffic. Therefore, it has been earmarked as a priority, and the upgrading and rehabilitation of the road will commence in the next few days,” said Ndou.
On Wednesday, the premier agreed that he would address the angry protesters. The newspaper was reliably informed that the mob forcefully removed people from their homes in order to attend the meeting. Night-shift workers were dragged out of their homes and instructed to attend. They were threatened with assault should they not adhere.
Police and security companies were still monitoring the situation at the time of going to print on Thursday.
This disruption came at a very crucial time for the platinum mines. Various ones in Rustenburg have already started with retrenchments as the ailing platinum price is taking its toll. Platinum is now trading at $1032/oz.
